TRANSPORT

A500

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential economic impact of the new A500 through Stoke-on-Trent.

Stephen Ladyman: The potential economic impact of the new A500 through Stoke on Trent was assessed as set out in the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR) document "Guidance on the Methodology for Multi-Modal Studies" (GOMMS, 2000).
	The GOMMS approach to assessment includes various objectives against which schemes are to be assessed, one of which is Economy.
	The Economy objective comprises Transport Economic Efficiency, Reliability and Wider Economic Impacts.
	With regard to Transport Economy Efficiency, the quantitative economic modelling carried out before start of works in 2004 shows that the A500 Scheme has a Benefit to Cost Ratio of 4.0. The Benefit to Cost Ratio is a measure of the economic efficiency, and is calculated by dividing the benefits by the costs, and a BCR of 4 is considered "High" Value for Money.
	With regard to Reliability, the qualitative assessment shows that the A500 Scheme has a positive "Beneficial" impact.
	With regard to Wider Economic Impacts, the qualitative assessment shows that the A500 Scheme lies within and will directly serve the Stoke-on-Trent designated regeneration area, and that Development will depend upon the A500 Scheme.
	The results of the assessments are included in an Appraisal Summary Table, which was presented at the Public Inquiry in November 2002.

Aviation Industry (Emissions)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last met representatives of the aviation industry to discuss the reduction of carbon emissions from aircraft over the next 10 years; and what the conclusions of the discussions were.

Gillian Merron: We have regular meetings with various stakeholders, including representatives from the aviation industry, to discuss a range of issues. It is not the normal practice of Government to release details of meetings with private individuals or companies.

Crossrail

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of whether the proposed seven year construction time for the Crossrail project will be achieved.

Derek Twigg: I understand from Cross London Rail Links Ltd—the company responsible for Crossrail design—that seven years remains a reasonable estimate for the overall period of main construction works.

Foreign Registered HGVs

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of accidents involving heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in the UK involved foreign-registered HGVs in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not available.

Gatwick Express

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make a decision on the future of the Gatwick Express.

Derek Twigg: Alternative plans submitted by train operators for the implementation of the recommendations of the Brighton Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy are currently under consideration by the Department for Transport. An announcement will be made in due course.

Travel Costs

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on foreign travel by his Department in each of the last eight years.

Gillian Merron: The Department was formed in May 2002. Three of the Department's agencies, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Highways Agency, and Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, do not record details of overseas travel separately from other travel and subsistence costs, and the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Figures for the Department and its remaining agencies are contained in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 DfT(c) 1,682,041 1,825,175 1,595,447 
			 DSA 33,000 29,000 33,000 
			 DVLA — — — 
			 HA — — — 
			 MCA 931,875 1,278,135 868,867 
			 VGA 277,000 245,000 349,574 
			 VOSA — — — 
			 GCDA 157.00 186.00 177.00 
		
	
	The figure stated for DfT(c) for financial year 2004-05 differs from that included in the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Tamworth (Mr. Jenkins) on 16 February 2006,  Official Report, column 2407W. It is with regret that in the earlier answer, the cost of domestic flights was included in error. The air travel element in the current table consists entirely of international flights.
	All travel in the Department and its agencies complied with the requirements of the "Civil Service Management Code".

Travel Costs

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total cost was of overnight accommodation for  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in his Department staying overnight in (i) Great Britain, (ii) Northern Ireland, (iii) the Republic of Ireland and (iv) other countries in each of the last three years.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport does not separate travel and subsistence costs for Northern Ireland from those for Great Britain. The figures for the last three years are contained in the following tables.
	
		
			  (a) Civil servants 
			   GB and NI  Republic of Ireland (IE)  Other  Total 
			 2005-06 301,217.82 1,218.54 180,911.55 483,347.91 
			 2004-05 296,831.12 307.87 73,907.94 371,046.9.3 
			 2003-04 306,050.16 1 ,396.42 64,303.67 371,750.25 
			 Total 904,099.10 2,922.83 319,123.16 1,126,145.09 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Special advisers 
			   GB and NI  Republic of Ireland (IE)  Other  Total 
			 2005-06 356 0 751 1,107 
			 2004-05 130 0 0 130 
			 2003-04 0 0 181 181 
			 Total 486 0 932 1,418 
		
	
	The amount spent on overseas travel in 2005-06 is higher than in previous years largely as a consequence of travel arising from the UK's presidency of the European Union between July and December 2005
	The Department's agencies do not record subsistence payments by region, and the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Railway Stations

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many railway stations are unstaffed at weekends.

Derek Twigg: This information is available from the National Rail Inquiries website at www.nationalrail.co.uk.

Road Safety

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures the Government are taking to reduce road casualties  (a) overall and  (b) among children.

Stephen Ladyman: We continue to develop and implement our wide-ranging road safety strategy "Tomorrow's Roads—Safer for Everyone", which set casualty reduction targets to be met by 2010. The first three-year review of the strategy, published in April 2004, confirmed that the 2010 targets remained appropriate. A second review is now under way.
	The 2004 casualty figures show we are now over halfway towards our 2010 target of a 40 per cent. reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured, and over three-quarters of the way towards our 50 per cent. reduction target for children:
	the number of people killed or seriously injured in road accidents has fallen by 28 per cent. from the baseline average of 1994-98, and
	the number of children killed or seriously injured has fallen by 43 per cent. from the 1994-98 baseline.
	After setting the target to reduce child fatal and serious injuries, we published "Child Road Safety—Achieving the 2010 Target". This reviewed progress on child safety and identified the action still needed. This action plan is currently being reviewed. Measures to help us reach our target include:
	Kerbcraft practical pedestrian training;
	THINK! campaigns;
	20 mph zones around schools, where appropriate; and
	child specific projects within the Neighbourhood Road Safety Initiative, which aims to improve road safety for people living in deprived areas.
	Both documents are available on the Department for Transport website: www.dft.gov.uk

Road Safety

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of accidents caused by drivers who are aged  (a) 30 to 64,  (b) 65 to 74,  (c) 75 to 85 and  (d) over 85 years in each of the last three years.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not available.
	Personal injury road accident data in Great Britain are collected by the police and reported to the Department using the STATS19 accident report format. Results are published in detail in "Road Casualties Great Britain—Annual Report". The report for 2004 was published on 29 September 2005 and a copy placed in the House of Commons Library.

Road Safety

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to introduce continued driver development by making Pass Plus or similar schemes compulsory to try to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured.

Stephen Ladyman: There are no plans to introduce continuous driver development for car drivers but from autumn 2008 and 2009 respectively bus and lorry drivers will be required to hold a Certificate of Professional Competence which will include a requirement for continuing training in order to drive vocationally. A research project has recently been setup to consider how to increase the take-up of the Pass Plus scheme.

Road Safety

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect on road traffic casualties of the Hazard Perception Test since 2002.

Stephen Ladyman: The Hazard Perception Test was introduced as part of the theory test in November 2002. No specific assessments have been carried out into its impact on casualty rates.
	The Department is undertaking a research study, "The Cohort Study of Learner and Novice drivers II", which will include an assessment comparing the effect on casualty rates of newly qualified drivers who took the Hazard Perception Test against those who did not. The results of that study will be published in 2007.

Royal Liverpool University Hospital

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last discussed Hall Lane Strategic Gateway in Liverpool in relation to plans for rebuilding Royal Liverpool university hospital; with whom these discussions were held; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 12 June 2006
	The Secretary of State has not had any discussions about the Hall Lane Strategic Gateway. Officials in the Government office for the North West liaise on a regular basis with officials from Liverpool city council on the progress of their major schemes including the Hall Lane scheme. I understand that the council considered the scheme at a meeting of its executive board on 16 June 2006.

Train Usage

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) passenger train carriages and  (b) multiple units are stored on the rail network but are not in service.

Derek Twigg: Around 330 passenger carriages are currently in store. These are mainly locomotive hauled coaches previously used on long distance routes and which have been replaced with new or younger cascaded rolling stock.

Train Usage

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) locomotives,  (b) multiple units,  (c) freight wagons and  (d) carriages are in use on the rail network, broken down by (i) train operating company and (ii) class.

Derek Twigg: Tables have been placed in the Library of the House, which give details of the number of locomotives, multiple units and carriages, used by UK franchised passenger train operators, broken down by train operating company and class. Vehicles operated by non-franchised operators such as Network Rail, open access and charter operators are not included. Details of the numbers of freight vehicles used on the network are not held centrally.
	This information is based on latest available data but minor variations in the figures can be expected due to ongoing activities such as short term vehicle hiring, the introduction of new fleets and the withdrawal of older vehicles.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Ministerial Duties

Tim Boswell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what changes to his ministerial duties have occurred since May.

John Prescott: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on Wednesday 17 May 2006,  Official Report, column 985W, and to my letter of appointment as Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Sino-British Trade

Neil Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with the Chinese Government on encouraging Sino-British trade and investment.

John Prescott: My hon. Friend may be aware that I visited China in February this year.
	This visit enabled me to meet several very senior members of the Chinese administration, including:
	Premier Wen Jibao
	Jia Qinglin, Chairman of the Peoples Political Consultative Conference
	State Councillor Tang
	The Chief Executive of Hong Kong Donald Tsang
	The Mayor of Beijing.
	Trade and investment formed an important part of the discussions we had. I was also able to close the successful UK-China Partners in Science year in Shanghai.
	Trade and investment is one of the core issues considered by the China taskforce, which I chair at the request of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. Its work offers strategic direction in five key sectors—finance, energy, information and communications technology (ICT), healthcare and water—areas where the UK has world-class expertise and where Chinese demand is growing rapidly. We are encouraging Chinese companies to invest in the UK—particularly those from high value added sectors such as ICT and high performance engineering.
	While in China, I was also honoured to be invited to open Nottingham university's new campus in Ningbo. Deepening educational links—particularly in the higher education sector—is vital to allowing the UK to tap into the large pool of well-qualified Chinese graduates, and to encouraging Chinese students to come to the UK. Greater understanding and interchange will help both our economies profit in the long term.

Admiralty House

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost of his official residence in Admiralty House was to the public purse in 2005-06.

John Prescott: Final figures are not yet available. The cost will be accounted for in the Department's annual report and accounts in the usual way.

Eastern Europe (Government Policy)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent work he has undertaken in respect of his responsibility for Government policy relating to Eastern Europe.

John Prescott: As part of my role during the UK presidency of the EU last year I visited a number of countries in Central and Eastern Europe for high level discussions on our presidency priorities. These included Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary and Croatia.
	I have also received a number of senior visitors from Eastern Europe in London over the past year. Our discussions covered a wide range of subjects, including the economy, trade and investment, education and skills, security and the environment.

Departmental Hospitality

David Simpson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will keep a separate record of the amount spent annually by his office on alcohol for hospitality purposes.

John Prescott: All expenditure is conducted in accordance with the principles of "Government Accounting".

Departmental Staff

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many of his staff are part of the Cabinet Office; and how many are assigned to the Department for Communities and Local Government.

John Prescott: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1840W to the hon. Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup (Derek Conway).

Official Duties

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he uses an e-mail account in the course of his duties.

John Prescott: No.

Private Office

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the budget is of his new private office.

John Prescott: Expenditure will be accounted for in the Department's annual report and accounts in the usual way.

DEFENCE

Child Protection

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to encourage appropriate representation of military establishments on local safeguarding children boards; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: The Ministry of Defence recognises the importance of proper representation on local safeguarding children boards (LSCB) and there has been service membership of preceding bodies, particularly Child Protection Committees, where appropriate. The plans for a MOD Children's Board will provide an additional focus for improved interaction between military establishments and LSCB's in England and the equivalent bodies in UK more generally.

Departmental Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on advertising by his Department in each of the last three years.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor on 20 July 2005,  Official Report, columns 1751W-52W.
	In addition, the final outturn figure for publicity and recruiting, which includes advertising, for 2004-05 was £76.8 million.

Departmental Hospitality

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will keep a separate record of the amount spent annually by his Department on alcohol for hospitality purposes.

Tom Watson: Records are kept of overall expenditure on official hospitality, but there is no separate record of the amount spent on alcohol, nor are there any plans to do so. Expenditure in the Department is conducted in accordance with the principles of "Government Accounting" and comprehensive guidance is issued to staff about expenditure on official hospitality, including situations in which alcohol may be provided at public expense.

Farnborough Air Show

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Indonesian  (a) military and  (b) other official personnel will be attending the Farnborough Air Show in 2006.

Adam Ingram: The Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO) intends to publish a list of those countries from which delegations are invited a day or so in advance of the exhibition opening, the timing being consistent with maintaining the security of guests. It is planned to place this list on the DESO internet site:
	www.deso.mod.uk

Mine Clearance

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mine clearance equipment is available to Light Forces; what mine clearance equipment is deployed in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq; how many mine clearance projects have been completed in each of the last three years, broken down by country; and how many projects are pending, broken down by country.

Adam Ingram: Light Forces are equipped with appropriate mine clearance equipment for the tasks and environments in which they operate.
	I am withholding information regarding the specific mine clearance equipment available to Light Forces and deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq, as disclosure of such information would have a bearing on our operational security and place our servicemen and women at risk.
	UK forces do not undertake mine clearance projects. They undertake only routine clearance tasks that are essential to the protection of UK forces during an operation. Humanitarian mine clearance projects are undertaken by specialist contractors, paid for and coordinated by the Department for International Development.

Operation Telic

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions helicopters have been grounded due to temperatures exceeding 45 degrees since the start of Operation Telic.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 15 June 2006
	The information requested cannot be provided as disclosure of such information would reveal the operational tactics and capability of UK forces, which in turn could have a bearing on our operational security, thereby placing our servicemen and women in additional unnecessary danger.

Royal Ordnance

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which countries will supply in future the items currently produced at Royal Ordnance  (a) Bridgwater and  (b) Chorley.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 15 June 2006
	BAE Systems Land Systems (BAES LS) remains responsible for the security of the supply of products previously manufactured at Bridgwater and Chorley. MOD and BAES LS have set up a joint project team to monitor the transfer of products to other sites (in the UK or abroad) and to ensure security of supply.
	Decisions on alternate sources are a commercial matter for the company. BAE LS has indicated, however, that some activities will be transferred to other BAES LS facilities in the UK; some to other UK suppliers; and others to foreign suppliers including USA and France.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Volunteers' Week

James McGovern: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps the Government are taking to support Volunteers' Week.

Edward Miliband: The Government supports Volunteers' Week, primarily through an annual core grant of £1.5 million to Volunteering England, the organisation that runs the week. This year during Volunteers' Week, which took place from 1-7 June, I and other Government Ministers visited a range of volunteering organisations to show support for Britain's 20 million volunteers.

Third Sector Organisations

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps she is taking to encourage all Government Departments to take account of relevant third sector organisations and issues in determining policies and measures.

Edward Miliband: The Government have set up the new Office of the third sector in the Cabinet Office to co-ordinate the work of Government with the third sector. This includes work to ensure the implementation of the principles of the Compact on funding and policy.

Civil Service (Staff Learning and Development)

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what  (a) adult learning courses and  (b) occupational and professional development courses the civil service makes available to its staff.

Patrick McFadden: Civil service Departments seek to ensure that all staff have the skills they need to carry out their duties effectively. The range of courses civil servants might attend in either adult learning or occupational and professional development is dictated by the particular needs of the individual, their link to the requirements for current and future development, availability of appropriate training and cost.
	The Professional Skills for Government programme has identified a framework for standards of performance across core skills and professional expertise. Occupational and professional development needs to be focused on ensuring staff are able to demonstrate these standards of performance. The National School of Government offers a comprehensive range of training courses which support the professional development of staff in the civil service.

Cyber Security

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent guidance she has issued on cyber security in Government Departments.

Patrick McFadden: The Government take the issue of cyber security very seriously. The Cabinet Office regularly issues guidance on cyber security based on advice received from the National Infrastructure Co-ordination Centre (NISCC—pronounced "nicey") and the Communications Electronic Security Group (CESG).
	Six such notices have been issued this year on a range of specific and technical electronic security requirements (which it would not be appropriate to comment on).
	We have also launched the first phase of Get Safe Online, a joint public-private initiative to raise awareness of internet safety among the general public.

Departmental Report

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many copies of the Cabinet Office Departmental Report 2006 were produced; at what cost; to whom copies were sent; at what cost; who was consulted prior to publication; how members of the public can obtain copies; at what cost; and if she will make a statement.

Hilary Armstrong: One Thousand copies of Cabinet Office Departmental Report 2006 were produced for Cabinet Office's own use and distribution. The total design and production cost to the Cabinet Office was £25,000.
	Copies were distributed at no cost to the following:
	Cabinet Office Parliamentary Branch and House of Commons Library;
	HM Treasury and Cabinet Office Library;
	Cabinet Office Board members;
	Cabinet Office PSA target holders;
	Cabinet Office staff;
	National Audit Office;
	Central Office of Information
	Some copies have been reserved for future distribution among stakeholders and other contacts.
	The Cabinet Office Management Board, Heads of Management Units and HM Treasury were consulted prior to the publication of the report.
	Further copies were produced by The Stationery Office (TSO) for sale to members of the public at a cost of £11 per copy. They can be purchased at TSO shops, and ordered online from www.tso.co.uk/bookshop. The report can also be downloaded free of charge from the Cabinet Office website www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/publications

Departmental Targets

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster who is responsible for progress on each of the targets set out on pages 37 to 45 of Cm 6833; to whom each person reports; what recent discussions she has had about implementation of each target; and if she will make a statement.

Hilary Armstrong: I am responsible for delivery of the Cabinet Office's Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets and with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer jointly responsible for the delivery of PSA target 1.
	Progress on performance against the PSA targets is reported to the Treasury in two, public documents the Autumn Performance Report (available on the Cabinet Office website at http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/reports /psa/autumn_delivery/index.asp) and the departmental report.

Public Service Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the announcement by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry of 18 October 2005 on public service pensions, that all sector scheme negotiations would be completed by March 2006, when she will announce the details of the consultation on the proposed benefit structure for new entrants to the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme; whether the negotiations have been completed; and if she will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The principles agreed between the Government and the trade unions at the Public Services Forum on 18 October 2005 stated that all sides involved in scheme-specific negotiations should aim to reach agreement no later than June 2006. However, the principles also stated that a co-operative approach should be adopted in all discussions and that adequate time should be made for the discussion process. The Cabinet Office's primary concern is to reach an agreement which produces pension arrangements which are sustainable and which are right for the civil service. The Cabinet Office has had several months of constructive discussions with the civil service trade unions. It expects to put formal proposals to them shortly. The Cabinet Office will publish the formal proposals on its website www.civilservice-pensions.gov.uk

Staff Handbook

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will place in the Library a copy of the Cabinet Office staff handbook.

Patrick McFadden: The Cabinet Office no longer publishes a staff handbook. The terms and conditions of service that apply to all Cabinet Office employees are readily available electronically on the Cabinet Office intranet to all staff. The text is updated periodically as necessary. I will arrange for a CD Rom containing the current version as at 15 June 2006 to be placed in the Library.

PRIME MINISTER

10 Downing Street

Eric Pickles: To ask the Prime Minister what the dimensions are of the garden at 10 Downing Street.

Tony Blair: The dimensions of the garden at 10 Downing Street have remained unchanged since the 18th century. It is an L-shape garden which at its widest points is approximately 42m and 58m. The total area is approximately 1760m(2).

Carbon Emissions

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Prime Minister what steps he takes to offset the carbon emissions of his flights to foreign countries on official business.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Carmichael) on 15 May,  Official Report, 2006, Column 820W.

Ministerial Travel

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Prime Minister what official role Mrs. Blair plays when accompanying him on foreign tours; and who pays for her travel.

Tony Blair: My wife accompanies me on official visits overseas as appropriate. The costs of such visits are included in the total cost of Ministers' visits overseas which is published on an annual basis. Information for 2005-06 is currently in the process of being assembled and will be published shortly.

Sustainable Development

Joan Walley: To ask the Prime Minister what mechanism exists to enable liaison between Government departments responsible for delivering sustainable development policy.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply. 
	The Government published the UK Sustainable Development Strategy "Securing the Futureonly" in March 2005, setting out a range of activities to support this vital agenda. The UK Framework for Sustainable Development, "One future—different pathsy", also launched in March 2005, describes the shared understanding and common purpose that exists across departments and in different parts of the country.
	Sustainable development is promoted and co-ordinated through a number of ministerial and official level working groups across Government.
	For example, within the Cabinet there are two committees which have sustainable development issues as part of their remit: the Energy and Environment (EE) Committee and the Sub-Committee on Sustainable Development in Government (EE(SD)). The EE Committee is chaired by the Prime Minister and was established in May 2005 to develop the Government's energy and environmental policies, to monitor the impact on sustainable development of the Government's policies, and to consider issues of climate change, security of supply and affordability of energy.
	I chair the EE(SD) Sub-Committee which has the remit to improve the Government's contribution to sustainable development through the conduct of its business, including through consideration of departmental sustainable development action plans; and to report as necessary to the Energy and Environment Committee.
	The Sustainable Development Commission is the Government's independent watchdog on sustainable development, reporting to the Prime Minister and the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales. Its recently expanded role includes monitoring cross-Government and departmental progress towards sustainable development.
	Details of other groups working across Government to deliver sustainable development can be found on our sustainable development website at http://www.sustainable -development.gov.uk/government/index.htm

Sustainable Development

Michael Meacher: To ask the Prime Minister whether he had read  (a) the Sustainable Development Commission's report "Is Nuclear the Answer", dated March 2006, and  (b) the Environmental Audit Committee's report "Keeping the Lights on: Nuclear, Renewables and Climate Change" HC584, dated 16 April 2006, prior to making his address to the Confederation of British Industry on 16 May.

Tony Blair: In addition to the presentation and papers from the Energy Review, I was briefed and read widely on energy issues in preparation for the address to the CBI on 16 May. This, of course, included the Sustainable Development Commission's report and its research papers and the Environmental Audit Committee's April report.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Business Rates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2006,  Official Report, column 370W, on business rates, how many  (a) hotels,  (b) hostels and  (c) bed and breakfasts were on the 2005 Rating List for each local authority area in England.

Phil Woolas: A table showing the number of properties classed as  (a) hotels,  (b) hostels and  (c) bed and breakfasts in the 2005 Rating List for England, for each individual local authority area, at 31 January 2006, has been placed in the Library.

Council Tax

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment the  (a) Valuation Office Agency and  (b) Valuation Tribunal Service has made of the potential effect of concerns over the effect of overhead power lines on the valuation of domestic properties for council tax; and what guidance each body has published on this.

Phil Woolas: Neither  (a) the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) nor  (b) the Valuation Tribunal Service (VTS) has made an overall assessment of the potential effect of overhead power lines on the valuation of domestic properties for council tax purposes. Whether the existence of overhead power lines would affect the open market value of a dwelling, on which the council tax banding is based, is a question of fact and degree in individual cases. Such matters would be considered by listing officers of the VOA and, if their decision on banding were subject to an appeal, by Valuation Tribunal panels, on a case by case basis. No specific guidance on the effect on valuations for council tax purposes of proximity to overhead power lines has been published by either  (a) the VOA or  (b) the VTS. General guidance on the approach to valuation for council tax purposes is contained in the VOA's "Council Tax" manual, which is published on the VOA's website at: www.voa.gov.uk

Departmental Staff

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many full-time equivalent communications, public relations and marketing staff were employed by the Department and its predecessors in each year since 2001.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government was created on 5 May 2006. Information on full-time equivalent communications staff employed within the Directorate of Communication on that date is given in the table.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Senior Management 2.8 
			 Press Office 20 
			 Strategic Communications 2 
			 Corporate Communications and Events 3 
			 Internal Communications 3 
			 Publicity and Marketing 9.4 
			 eCommunications 8.5 
			 Print Publishing 6.5 
		
	
	Comparable information in relation to the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) is not available. However for information on ODPM press officer numbers, I refer to the answer given by my hon. Friend (Jim Fitzpatrick) to the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Burstow) on 20 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1770W.

Fire Safety

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance will be offered by the Fire and Resilience Directorate to the owners of  (a) metal reclamation yards,  (b) tyre dumps,  (c) timber yards and  (d) other high fire risk open air premises to ensure compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Angela Smith: For the premises listed, and other industrial uses of open air premises, generic guidance is given in the guide for factories and warehouses. The existing guide "Fire Safety for Tyre Sites" will continue to be available. Non-industrial uses are covered by the guide for open air events and venues that we shall be publishing shortly. Further guidance may be needed on some types of premises or uses and we will be keeping the position under review.

Fire Safety

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans for responsibility for the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to remain with the Fire and Resilience Directorate in her Department.

Angela Smith: Responsibility for the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and for policy on general fire safety law for non-domestic premises both rest with the Fire and Resilience Directorate. The Department has no plans to change that.

Leisure Facilities (Discount Entitlement)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance she has issued to local authorities on the required proof of entitlement for people claiming benefits to discounts for use of leisure facilities.

Phil Woolas: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not provide guidance for local authorities in relation to proof of entitlement to discounts for the use of leisure facilities for people in receipt of benefits; this is a matter for local authorities.

Local Government

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Government encourages exchange of best practice between local authorities on estate utilisation.

Phil Woolas: Government policy is to promote the spread of best practice in local authority asset management. Asset management was one of the themes for Round 6 of the Beacon councils scheme and the authorities with Beacon status for asset management have been rolling out a programme of learning events to share their best practice with other local authorities.
	Additionally, my department, in liaison with other stakeholders, commissioned the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors to prepare new guidance. This guidance, which was published in 2005, aims to help local authorities use their assets more effectively to support delivery of their strategic objectives and increase the cost effectiveness of existing assets and capital resources. The text of the guidance is available on the internet at:
	http://www.rics.org/Property/Propertymanagement/Asset ManagementinLocalAuthorities230305.htm
	The Government also welcomes the Asset Management Network, set up in 2000 by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and local government property societies, to disseminate best practice information and support local authorities developing asset management practices. The network runs an extensive website for hosting asset management information at:
	http://www.ipfproperty.net/ampnetwork

Local Strategic Partnerships

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether non-councillor members of local strategic partnerships are  (a) regulated by (i) local government codes of conduct and (ii) the Standards Board and  (b) required to declare personal or prejudicial interests.

Phil Woolas: The Local Government Act 2000 provides for a code of conduct to apply to members and co-opted members of every relevant authority. The Standards Board for England polices this code. This code does not directly apply to non-local authority members of LSPs. However, they would be required to conduct themselves with reference to their own professional or corporate code of conduct, and to comply with any advice which accompanies this.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 26 April 2006,  Official Report, column 1196W, to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman), on the automated valuation model, what data sources are used to compile the Valuation Office Agency's single dataset.

Phil Woolas: The main source of the Valuation Office Agency's (VOA's) property attribute dataset is the Agency's own paper-based records, which have now been digitised and are maintained as part of ongoing work in the VOA. Data has also been drawn from other sources to supplement and validate these records. These are:
	data on the location of subsidised housing from the National Register of Social Housing (NRoSH); this has been reviewed and adapted by the VOA
	data supplied under a contractual arrangement with Rightmove.co.uk plc
	National Land and Property Gazetteer "X-Y co-ordinate" data
	Additionally, data is supplied by local authorities, primarily as part of their statutory responsibility to supply information which they consider would assist the VOA's listing officers in maintaining council tax lists.
	Also, standard ordnance survey maps have been used to confirm some property attribute details and to assist with the calculation of plot sizes.

Wards

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authority wards, including the district tier in two-tier areas, there are in England.

Phil Woolas: Decisions as to the number of wards in England are a matter for the Electoral Commission. The current number is: in the 32 London boroughs, 624 wards; in the 36 Metropolitan districts, 815 wards; in the 45 Shire unitary authorities (excluding the county of the Isle of Wight which has 48 divisions), 1,006 wards; in the 238 two-tier districts, 5,449 wards. Total: 7,894 wards.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Arms Exports

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent estimate he has made of the annual value of the UK arms export trade.

Adam Ingram: I have been asked to reply.
	Defence exports bring commercial benefits to UK companies and around 20 per cent. of UK defence employment is in export work. As set out in the Defence Industrial Strategy White Paper in December 2005 (CM6697), they also contribute to the achievement of wider defence objectives and support our foreign and security interests.
	Over the last five years the UK defence industry, with the support of the Defence Export Services Organisation, won defence export orders averaging £4.5 billion per annum. Last year, these included the US101 helicopter, to be used for the US Presidential flight, and an important understanding with Saudi Arabia. This will lead to a greater partnership in modernising the Saudi armed forces, and will sustain the defence relationship for many years to come.

Arms Exports

Malcolm Wicks: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what purpose a Westland Scout AH1 helicopter (registration G-ONEB) was transferred to Sierra Leone after being deregistered in the UK on 12 May 2006, and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: My interest in this relates to the possible need for an export licence for the export of this item. Although I am bound by a duty of commercial confidentiality as regards export licensing information which may be placed in the public domain, I shall ensure that this matter is pursued, if necessary involving HM Revenue and Customs as the enforcement authority. I would be grateful if the hon. Member could send me any further factual information he holds regarding this matter.

Coal Production

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much coal was produced by the  (a) National Coal Board and  (b) British Coal Corporation in each year since 1976.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  (a) The National Coal Board  Output (million tonnes) 
			 1976-77 119.9 
			 1977-78 119.9 
			 1978-79 119.0 
			 1979-80 122.3 
			 1980-81 125.5 
			 1981-82 123.2 
			 1982-83 119.6 
			 1983-84 103.9 
			 1984-85 41.2 
			   
			  (b) The British Coal Corporation( 1)  
			 1985-86 102.5 
			 1986-87 101.3 
			 1987-88 97.5 
			 1988-89 101.8 
			 1989-90 93.1 
			 1990-91 89.3 
			 1991-92 87.7 
			 1992-93 76.8 
			 1993-94 56.2 
			 1994-95(2) 32.1 
			 (1 )The National Coal Board began trading under the name The British Coal Corporation in 1985-86 and from 1986-87 began producing consolidated accounts under that company name. (2 )Figure is for the nine months to end December 1994 at which point the mining assets of the Corporation were sold to the private sector.  Source:  National Coal Board/British Coal Corporation Report and Accounts.

Departmental Hospitality

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will keep a separate record of the amount spent annually by his Department on alcohol for hospitality purposes.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The DTI does not currently keep a separate record of amounts spent on alcohol. It is not intended to keep a separate record in future since the total spent by the Department on hospitality in the round was £71,000 in 2005-06 and it would not be cost effective to further analyse such a relatively low amount.
	The DTI's internal guidance strongly reinforces the need for any expenditure in respect of hospitality to be conducted in accordance with the principles of Government accounting.

Energy Efficiency

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of his Department's additional allocation from the Treasury for support for micro-renewables he plans to allocate to individual household installations.

Malcolm Wicks: The additional £50 million announced by the Chancellor in the Budget will not be used to support microgeneration installations in individual households. These funds will be used for installations in the public sector, possibly including social housing.
	Individuals can apply for grants under the original £30 million Low Carbon Buildings Programme.

Energy Efficiency

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps are being taken to encourage the use of  (a) cleaner and  (b) more efficient sources of energy.

Malcolm Wicks: Government are taking a number of measures to encourage the use of cleaner and more efficient sources of energy such as renewables, combined heat and power (CHP), and carbon abatement technologies.
	The Government's key mechanism for encouraging renewable generation is the Renewables Obligation (RO) which places an obligation on electricity suppliers to source a specific and annually increasing percentage of their sales from eligible renewable sources. This is set at 6.7 per cent. for 2006-07 and will rise to 15.4 per cent. by 2015-16. The RO together with the Climate Change Levy will be worth up to £l billion per year by 2010.
	Since 2002 the Government have also made available around £500 million of direct funding for emerging renewable and low carbon technologies in the form of capital grants.
	This includes:
	£117 million in capital grants for round one offshore wind farms;
	£66 million for biomass capital grants;
	£80 million for Low Carbon Buildings Programme;
	£50 million Demonstration Fund for Carbon Abatement Technologies, Hydrogen and Fuel Cells;
	£12.5 million for the Clear Skies Programme;
	£50 million for Marine Renewables Deployment Fund; and
	£19 million a year for industry-led Research & Development.
	With regard to Combined Heat and Power (CHP) the Government have added support measures for CHP in the new Climate Change Programme, including a commitment that CHP will be fully considered in the UK's Phase II National Allocation Plan of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. Combined heat and power (CHP) can increase the overall efficiency of fuel utilisation to more than 75 per cent. compared with up to 50 per cent. from modern Combined Cycle Gas Turbines. We are also considering whether we can offer support for CHP under the current Energy Review.
	In 2005 the Government launched the Carbon Abatement Technologies Strategy and the UK's Strategic Framework for Hydrogen Energy. Carbon Abatement Technologies (CATs) have the potential to significantly lower carbon dioxide emissions by 85 per cent. or more and will enable the cleaner use of coal and allow it to have a role in a sustainable world. The use of hydrogen as a transport fuel could provide significant cost-competitive CO2 reductions by 2030. These strategies include (as listed above) funding for demonstration of hydrogen, fuel cell and carbon abatement technologies (including Cleaner Coal and Carbon Capture and Storage).
	The EU Emissions Trading scheme covers electricity generation and energy intensive industry and requires an allowance to be produced for every tonne of carbon dioxide emitted. These allowances are tradeable across the EU and will effectively require companies to incorporate the cost of carbon into decision making. This scheme should therefore provide another incentive to invest in cleaner and more efficient sources of energy.

Energy Engineers

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information his Department holds on the average age of registered professional  (a) gas engineers and  (b) nuclear engineers.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department does not hold information covering the age profiles of registered gas or registered nuclear engineers.
	Work force demographics will be addressed in the sector skills agreements which are being developed by the relevant sector skills councils—Cogent for nuclear and Energy and Utility Skills for gas. These will provide a framework for meeting current and future needs for skilled people.

Energy Review

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the reasons are for the delay in posting the submissions received in April in response to the Energy Review consultation on his Department's website; and when he expects all the remaining submissions to be posted.

Malcolm Wicks: We received a high number of responses to the Energy Review consultation (over 5,300), many of which were submitted towards the end of the consultation period. Since the close we have focused on reading and logging the responses to ensure the comments feed into our overall analysis. We are now working on responses received in April, which we hope to post on the DTI website by the end of the month.

Energy Review

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will post the submissions received in April to the Energy Review consultation on his departmental website.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 20 June 2006
	The high number of responses to the Energy Review consultation (over 5,300), many of which were submitted towards the end of the consultation period, has meant we are still working on the responses received in April. We hope to post these on the DTI website by the end of the month.

Franco-British Nuclear Forum

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the impact of EU competition law on the Franco-British Nuclear Forum announced by the Prime Minister on 9 June 2006;
	(2)  how many  (a) permanent and  (b) temporary staff have been allocated from his Department to the Franco-British Nuclear Forum announced by the Prime Minister on 9 June 2006;
	(3)  which UK companies and industry groups were consulted about the setting up of the Franco-British Nuclear Forum prior to its announcement by the Prime Minister on 9 June 2006;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the likely cost of the Franco-British Nuclear Forum announced by the Prime Minister on 9 June 2006; and what proportion of the costs will be borne by UK companies and industry groups.

Malcolm Wicks: The terms of reference for the Franco-British Nuclear Forum, which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and President Chirac agreed to establish on 9 June 2006, have yet to be decided, as have its aims, and its membership. I shall write to the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton as soon as the information is available.

Franco-British Nuclear Forum

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  when he plans to make a statement on the Franco-British Nuclear Forum announced by the Prime Minister on 9 June 2006;
	(2)  who will represent the UK at the Franco-British Nuclear Forum announced by the Prime Minister on 9 June 2006;
	(3)  what the  (a) terms of reference and  (b) aims are of the Franco-British Nuclear Forum announced by the Prime Minister on 9 June 2006; and how often it will meet.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answers 20 June 2006
	The terms of reference for the Franco-British Nuclear Forum, which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and President Chirac agreed to establish on 9 June 2006, have yet to be decided, as have its aims, and its membership. I shall write to the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton as soon as the information is available.

Music Copyright

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many prosecutions there have been for the illegal copying of music for personal use under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: It is a matter for copyright owners or their representatives to pursue those who infringe copyright in music by private copying. I understand that the BPI, the British music industry's trade association, has not sued anyone who has merely copied music for personal use.

Music Copyright

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent advice he has received from  (a) the police and  (b) the music industry on the issue of private sound copying and the application of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Infringement of copyright by private copying is a civil, rather than a criminal matter, and therefore not a matter for the police. I have not received any recent representations from the music industry, although I am aware of their concerns. Private copying is one of the issues under consideration by the current independent review of intellectual property led by Andrew Gowers. The review will report to Government in the autumn.

New Technologies

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the Department's budget was spent on researching new technologies in the last period for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: SET Statistics provide a breakdown of Government R&D expenditure by primary purpose and Department. The following table outlines spend for the Department of Trade and Industry and other major Government Departments for 2003-04 on technology support and gives this as a percentage of the Department's total budget. The category technology support includes strategic as well as applied research, and pre-competitive research. These figures exclude funding of the research base under the Science Budget and are derived from SET statistics tables 3.6 and 3.10 available on the DTI website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/science/science-funding/ set-stats/govt-exp-r&d/index.htnml, hard copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
	
		
			  Analysis of net Government R&D expenditure by primary purpose and department—Dates covered: 2003-04 
			   Primary purpose A: General support  (£ million)  As percentage of total department budget  Primary purpose B: Government services (£ million)  As percentage of total department budget 
			 DEFRA 16.9 0.33 6.0 0.12 
			 DIES — — 17.0 3.23 
			 ODPM 0.3 0.01 3.2 0.07 
			 DfT 0.1 0.00 10.6 0.16 
			 DH (includes NHS) 2.8 0.00 557.6 0.95 
			 DWP (formerly DSS) — — 12.1 0.01 
			 HSC — — — — 
			 HO — — 42.2 0.56 
			 DCMS (formerly DNH) 6.2 0.22 0.8 0.03 
			 DFID (formerly ODA) — — 214.9 5.49 
			 DTI (ex OST) — — — — 
			 NI departments — — 1.6 0.01 
			 SE (formerly SO) 17.5 0.13 52.2 0.38 
			 NAW (formerly WO) 4.5 0.07 18.1 0.28 
			 FSA — — — — 
			 Other departments 1.3 0.00 13.3 0.04 
			  
			 Total Civil Departments 49.7 0.03 949.5 0.55 
			  
			 MOD — — 2,676.6 8.92 
			  
			 Total Government 3,597.5 1.58 3,733.9 1.64 
		
	
	
		
			   Primary purpose C: Policy support (£ million)  As percentage of total department budget  Primary purpose D: Technology support (£ million)  As percentage of total department budget 
			 DEFRA 128.8 2.52 29.2 0.57 
			 DIES 33.8 6.42 1.2 0.23 
			 ODPM 26.9 0.61 — — 
			 DfT 41.0 0.61 7.1 0.11 
			 DH (includes NHS) 31.4 0.05 1.1 0.00 
			 DWP (formerly DSS) 6.4 0.01 — — 
			 HSC 14.1 7.24 — — 
			 HO 5.7 0.08 — — 
			 DCMS (formerly DNH) 7.4 0.26 — — 
			 DFID (formerly ODA) 0.0 0.00 — — 
			 DTI (ex OST) 15.7 0.39 455.0 11.34 
			 NI departments 19.1 0.16 — — 
			 SE (formerly SO) 20.5 0.15 38.3 0.28 
			 NAW (formerly WO) 8.5 0.13 — — 
			 FSA — n/a — — 
			 Other departments 11.4 0.04 4.2 0.01 
			  
			 Total Civil Departments 370.8 0.23 537.0 0.31 
			  
			 MOD — — — — 
			  
			 Total Government 421.6 0.19 610.4 0.27 
		
	
	
		
			   Total R&D (£ million)  As percentage of total department budget 
			 DEFRA 181.0 3.55 
			 DIES 52.0 9.88 
			 ODPM 30.4 0.69 
			 DfT 58.8 0.88 
			 DH (includes NHS) 593.0 1.01 
			 DWP (formerly DSS) 18.4 0.02 
			 HSC 14.1 7.24 
			 HO 48.0 0.64 
			 DCMS (formerly DNH) 15.2 0.54 
			 DFID (formerly ODA) 214.9 5.49 
			 DTI (ex OST) 470.8 11.73 
			 NI departments 20.6 0.18 
			 SE (formerly SO) 128.5 0.93 
			 NAW (formerly WO) 31.1 0.47 
			 FSA — n/a 
			 Other departments 30.2 0.09 
			
			 Total Civil Departments 1,907.1 1.11 
			
			 MOD 2,676.6 8.92 
			
			 Total Government 8,363.4 3.68 
			  Notes:  Definitions: Primary Purpose A, general support for research—all basic and applied R&D which advances knowledge for its own sake; support for postgraduate research studentships (PhDs); Primary Purpose B, Government services - R&D relevant to any aspect of Government service provision (all defence included here)  Source: ONS Government R&D Survey

Nuclear Industry

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment he has made of the skills capability in the UK nuclear industry; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government are advised on skills capability in the nuclear industry by Cogent, the sector skills council covering nuclear. The most recent assessment on skills in the nuclear industry has been completed through the Sector Skills Agreement Process. "The Skills Needs Assessment of the Nuclear Industry", is available on the Cogent website at www.cogent-ssc.com/ as is the "Assessment of Current Education and Training Provision for the Nuclear Industry".

Nuclear Industry

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of nuclear  (a) scientists and  (b) engineers available in the United Kingdom.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 15 June 2006
	The nuclear industry employs good general science and engineering graduates. The nuclear specific competences are added by in-service training and experience and, increasingly, by Masters Courses at the 15 or so universities and institutions teaching postgraduates in nuclear related topics.
	Survey and scenario planning work undertaken by Cogent sector skills council with nuclear employers in 2005-06 provides estimates for the current workforce of:
	 (a) approximately 3,150 professional scientists working within the nuclear industry and;
	 (b) approximately 17,400 professional engineers working within the nuclear industry.
	This reported workforce is not necessarily nuclear specialists.
	The Institution of Nuclear Engineers has about 1,000 members of all categories.
	In addition, there is a broader engineering design and project management resource, at least 20,000 strong, that could support energy sector projects, including nuclear.

Zimbabwe

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which UK companies have licences to export military equipment to Zimbabwe.

Malcolm Wicks: Export licence applications are made to the Government in confidence and the information they contain is therefore exempt from disclosure. The Government publishes detailed information on its export licensing decisions, by destination, in its annual and quarterly reports on strategic export controls. The Government's annual reports are available from the Library of the House, and our quarterly reports, from the DTI Export Control Organisation website at:
	http://www.dti.gov.uk/europeandtrade/strategic-export-control/index.html

TREASURY

Cancer/Leukaemia

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people under the age of 18 years in  (a) Southend on Sea,  (b) Essex and  (c) England and Wales were diagnosed with leukaemia in each year between 2002 and 2005.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 June 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people under the age of 18 years in (a) Southend on Sea, (b) Essex and (c) England and Wales were diagnosed with leukaemia in each year between 2002 and 2005. (78596)
	The most recent available figures for newly diagnosed cases of leukaemia registered in England and Wales are the year 2003. Figures for people under the age of 18 years at diagnosis for the years 2002 and 2003 are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Numbers of newly diagnosed cases of leukaemia,( 1)  for people under the age of 18 years at diagnosis, registered in Southend unitary authority, Essex county and England and Wales, 2002-03 
			   2002  2003 
			 Southend unitary authority 1 1 
			 Essex county 12 8 
			 England and Wales 478 453 
			 (1 )Figures selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD10), all leukaemias coded as C91-C95.

Cancer/Leukaemia

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in  (a) Southend on Sea,  (b) Essex and  (c) England and Wales were diagnosed with (i) leukaemia, (ii) breast cancer, (iii) prostate cancer and (iv) lung cancer in each year between 2002 and 2005.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 June 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people in (a) Southend on Sea, (b) Essex and (c) England and Wales were diagnosed with (i) leukaemia, (ii) breast cancer and (iii) prostate cancer and (iv) lung cancer in each year between 2002 and 2005. (78597)
	The most recent available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer registered in England and Wales are the year 2003. Figures by selected cancers for the years 2002 and 2003 are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Numbers of newly diagnosed cases of selected cancers,( 1)  registered in Southend unitary authority, Essex county and England and Wales, 2002-03 
			   Southend unitary authority  Essex county  England and Wales 
			   2002  2003  2002  2003  2002  2003 
			 Leukaemia 20 15 143 132 6,066 6,190 
			 Breast cancer (females)(2) 129 123 910 956 36,540 38,882 
			 Prostate cancer 94 106 796 819 28,566 28,800 
			 Lung cancer 116 102 763 737 31,801 31,718 
			 (1) Figures selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD10), all leukaemias coded as C91-C95, breast cancer as C50, prostate cancer as C61 and lung cancer as C34.  (2) Figures provided here are for female breast cancer. However, there are around 300 cases of male breast cancer diagnosed each year in England and Wales.

Drug Deaths

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Scotland died as a result of  (a) heroin and  (b) cocaine misuse in the last 12 months.

John Healey: This is a matter for the Scottish Executive (Registrar General) and the hon. Member may wish to write to them about this issue.

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what percentage of the electorate in each  (a) constituency and  (b) ward of each constituency were registered to vote in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2006.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 June 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question concerning how many and what percentage of the electorate in each (a) constituency and (b) ward of each constituency were registered to vote in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2006. (79080)
	Whilst ward electorate counts for England and Wales by parliamentary constituency can be provided for February 1997 and most recently for December 2005, the necessary ward population estimates to calculate the percentage of the electorate who were registered to vote are not available.
	In the nine-year period from 1997, ward population estimates for England and Wales are available only for 2001 and 2002. Information for 2001 and 2002 has been provided previously in response to earlier Parliamentary Questions (No. 38272, 20 Dec 2005, Column 2809w, No. 41187, 19th January 2006, Column 1491w).
	In addition there have been a significant number of ward name changes and ward boundary changes over this nine-year period which may cause significant difficulties when comparing figures for wards over time.

Electors (Southend)

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many electors there were in each ward in Southend, West in each of the last 10 years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 21 June 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question regarding the number of electors in each ward in Southend West in each of the last 10 years. I am replying in her absence. (78595)
	The most recent ward electorate counts are for December 2005. The ward electorate counts for Southend West for the last 10 years are included in the attached table. The ward electorate counts are for parliamentary electors, including attainers. Local government electorate counts are not available at ward level.
	It should be noted that the number of people eligible to vote is not the same as the resident population aged 18 and over. There are numerous reasons for this. For example not everyone who is usually resident is entitled to vote (foreign citizens from outside of the EU and Commonwealth, prisoners, etc. are not eligible), some people do not register to vote and people who have more than one address may register in more than one place. Further, there is inevitably some double counting of the registered electorate as electoral registration officers vary in how quickly they remove people from the registers after they have moved away from an area or after they have died. These factors have a differential impact from area to area.
	
		
			  Parliamentary electors for wards in Southend, West parliamentary constituency, 1996 to 2005 
			  Ward name  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000 
			 Belfairs(1,2) 9,021 9,270 9,250 9,106 9,037 
			 Blenheim(2) 9,233 9,466 9,464 9,174 9,254 
			 Blenheim Park(2,3,4) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Chalkwell(5) 9,467 9,743 9,812 9,697 9,570 
			 Eastwood(6) 10,658 10,906 10,852 10,658 10,649 
			 Eastwood Park(6) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Leigh(5,7) 9,080 9,360 9,410 9,263 9,085 
			 Prittlewell(*,2,3,4,6) 9,244 9,340 9,376 9,027 9,022 
			 St. Laurence(2,3,6) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Westborough(4) 8,609 8,923 8,901 8,620 8,639 
			 West Leigh(1,7) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Total 65,312 67,008 67,065 65,545 65,256 
		
	
	
		
			  Ward name  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Belfairs(1,2) 7,328 7,315 7,396 7,373 7,336 
			 Blenheim(2) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Blenheim Park(2,3,4) 7,573 7,565 7,700 7,684 7,633 
			 Chalkwell(5) 7,389 7,221 7,416 7,368 7,182 
			 Eastwood(6) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Eastwood Park(6) 7,509 7,555 7,660 7,663 7,552 
			 Leigh(5,7) 7,111 6,998 7,191 7,120 7,057 
			 Prittlewell(*,2,3,4,6) 7,587 7,617 7,708 7,521 7,394 
			 St. Laurence(2,3,6) 7,577 7,468 7,583 7,597 7,614 
			 Westborough(4) 7,150 6,873 7,069 7,102 7,036 
			 West Leigh(1,7) 6,920 6,886 6,940 6,931 6,929 
			 Total 66,144 65,498 66,663 66,359 65,733 
			 n/a = not applicable  (* )Prittlewell ward also falls within Rochford and Southend, East parliamentary constituency, data for the whole ward are shown. The following changes took effect on 3 May 2001:  (1) Part of Belfairs formed part of West Leigh.  (2) Part of Blenheim merged with Belfairs, part merged with Prittlewell, part merged to form part of Blenheim Park, and the rest merged to form part of St. Laurence.  (3) Part of Prittlewell merged to form part of Blenheim Park and part merged to form part of St. Laurence.  (4) Part of Westborough merged to form part of Blenheim Park and part merged with Prittlewell.  (5) Part of Chalkwell merged with Leigh.  (6) Part of Eastwood merged to form Eastwood Park, part merged to form part of St. Laurence and the rest merged with Prittlewell.  (7) Part of Leigh merged to form part of West Leigh.   Notes:  1. Data for years up to and including 2000 relate to 16 February, data for 2001 and subsequent years relate to 1 December.  2. Parliamentary electors are those people who are entitled to vote in parliamentary elections at Westminster and who meet the residence qualification. These include overseas voters but exclude peers and European citizens.   Source:  Office for National Statistics

Energy Taxation

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the merits of reducing the level of energy taxation for those who live close to energy-providing facilities including nuclear and renewables.

John Healey: There is no energy tax levied on individuals, as no such assessment has been made.

Hot Meals Provision

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reduce the rate of VAT on supplies of hot meals to  (a) school children and  (b) pensioners.

Dawn Primarolo: There is no VAT chargeable on the supply of a hot meal by a school to its pupils. Neither is VAT chargeable on meals provided to children or elderly people by any charity or state-regulated welfare provider as part of a package of care or welfare services.
	European VAT agreements governing the application of exemptions, reliefs and reduced rates do not allow for their further extension. Neither do these agreements allow for the introduction of any new VAT zero or reduced rates for supplies of catering, including the provision of hot meals.

Incoming Phone Calls

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of calls to his Department and its agencies were  (a) handled by an adviser,  (b) received but abandoned and  (c) received an engaged tone in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05 and (iii) 2005-06.

Dawn Primarolo: I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 10 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1801W for (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05 and (iii) 2005-2006, to 31 January 2006.
	The following table provides figures for the remainder of 2005-06.
	
		
			   2005-06: Figures in millions rounded to nearest hundred thousand 
			   February  March 
			 Calls handled(1) 4 4.6 
			 Calls received but abandoned(2) 0.27 0.27 
			 Calls encountering an engaged tone(3) 6.9 5.9 
			 (1) Where the caller spoke to an adviser  (2) Where the caller selected an option from the call steering menu and was put in a queue to speak to an adviser but the call was terminated before the caller spoke to an adviser  (3) Call attempts where the caller was played an Engaged tone

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 1110-11W, on the parliamentary ombudsman, whether his Department has accepted recommendation 10, page 9, of the parliamentary ombudsman's report, "Tax Credits: Putting Things Right", of June 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 19 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1627W.

Tax Returns

Peter Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Northern Ireland have been fined for filing their income tax return late in each year since 1998.

Dawn Primarolo: The total numbers of late filing penalty notices (the first automatic penalty) issued in each financial year are in the following table. The figures for the financial years prior to 2001 are not available.
	
		
			  Year Issued  Return year  Total number issued 
			 2002-03 2001-02 24418 
			 2003-04 2002-03 28169 
			 2004-05 2003-04 26760 
			 2005-06 2004-05 26681

Tax Returns

Peter Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much in total was received in fines by HM Revenue and Customs for late income tax returns in Northern Ireland in each year since 1998.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs keep a record of penalties paid in respect of income tax returns filed after the due date at national level only.

Tax Returns

Peter Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many self-assessment tax returns were issued in Northern Ireland in each year since 1998.

Dawn Primarolo: The total numbers of self- assessment tax returns issued in Northern Ireland for each financial year are detailed in the table. The figures for the financial years prior to 2001 are no longer available.
	
		
			  Year Issued  Return Year  Number Issued 
			 2001-02 2000-01 233,681 
			 2002-03 2001-02 241,112 
			 2003-04 2002-03 248,785 
			 2004-05 2003-04 255,316 
			 2005-06 2004-05 240,693 
			 2006-07 2005-06 (1)234,763 
			 (1 )to 9 June

Taxation

Peter Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was raised in taxation in Northern Ireland from each tax band in 2005-06.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on estimated tax revenues raised in Northern Ireland by tax bands for 2005-06 is in the table.
	
		
			  Tax revenues in Northern Ireland: 2005-06 (£million) 
			  Type of tax( 1)  Starting rate  Savers rate( 2)  Basic rate( 3)  Higher rate 
			 Income tax 10 10 1,400 900 
			 Capital gains tax 0 — 10 110 
			 Inheritance tax(4) — — — 50 
			 (1) Figures are estimated liabilities on an accruals basis for income tax, but receipts for capital gains and inheritance tax.  (2) Taxpayers with a marginal rate of 20 per cent. on savings income or 10 per cent. on dividends income.  (3) Taxpayers with a marginal rate of 22 per cent.  (4) Inheritance tax is only taxed at 40 per cent. above the inheritance tax threshold. The 2005-06 threshold was £275,000. 
		
	
	The information on income tax is based upon the latest survey of personal incomes (2003-04) projected to 2005-06 in line with 2006 Budget assumptions.
	The information on capital gains tax is based on data held by HMRC on capital gains tax accrued in respect of assets disposed of in 2004-05 by taxpayers resident in Northern Ireland. Capital gains tax accrued in 2004-05 is paid in 2005-06.
	The figure for inheritance tax is estimated, based upon historical data held by HMRC for tax paid in respect of estates where the deceased person was resident in Northern Ireland.
	Similar information for other taxes is not available as taxes are often collected centrally and cannot be directly attributed to countries within the UK.

Teenage Pregnancy

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many females aged  (a) under 18 and  (b) under 16 years became pregnant in each (i) parliamentary constituency and (ii) local authority area in the East of England in each year since 2001; what the pregnancy rate was in each area; and what percentage of pregnancies in under 18 year olds ended in abortions in each area in each year.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 20 June 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many females aged  (a) under 18 and  (b) under 16 years became pregnant in each (i) parliamentary constituency and (ii) local authority area in the East of England in each year since 2001; what the pregnancy rate was in each area; and what percentage of pregnancies in under 18 year olds ended in abortions in each area in each year.
	Information on conceptions is routinely published for local authorities and strategic health authorities. Figures cannot be provided by parliamentary constituency because of the risk of disclosing individual's information due to small differences with local authority boundaries.
	Available figures are estimates of the number of pregnancies that resulted in a live birth, stillbirth or termination.
	Conception numbers, rates and percentage leading to abortion for girls aged under 18 by local authorities in the East of England from 2001 to 2004 (the most recent year for which figures are available) are given in the following table. Figures for 2004 are provisional.
	Conception statistics for girls aged under 16 for each year since 2001 are available only for unitary authorities, metropolitan counties and counties. Figures are not available for county districts as there is a risk of disclosure of information about individuals due to small number of cases each year. The under 16 data are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Conceptions to girls aged under 16: number and rate by area of usual residence, 2001-04( 1) 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004 
			   Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate( 1) 
			 East of England 642 6.4 650 6.4 636 6.1 601 5.7 
			 Luton UA 32 7.8 26 6.4 19 4.9 31 8.3 
			 Peterborough UA 31 9.6 32 9.9 32 9.9 32 9.8 
			 Southend-on-Sea UA 28 9.7 21 7.3 35 12.3 27 9.3 
			 Thurrock UA 27 9.3 24 8.3 17 5.8 14 4.7 
			 Bedfordshire County 45 6.1 46 6.2 44 5.8 31 4.1 
			 Cambridgeshire County 57 5.9 57 5.7 51 5.0 53 5.1 
			 Essex County 139 5.7 154 6.2 140 5.5 143 5.6 
			 Hertfordshire 103 5.3 104 5.2 99 4.9 116 5.6 
			 Norfolk 107 7.6 111 7.8 106 7.4 81 5.6 
			 Suffolk 73 5.9 75 5.9 93 7.1 73 5.5 
			 (1 )Conceptions for 2004 are provisional.   Note:  Rates are per 1000 female population aged 13-15. 
		
	
	
		
			  Conceptions to girls aged under 18: number, rate and percentage leading to abortion by area of usual residence, 2001-04( 1) 
			   2001  2002 
			   Number  Rate  Percentage leading to abortion  Number  Rate  Percentage leading to abortion 
			 East of England 3,311 34.2 47 3,424 34.6 47 
			 Luton UA 176 44.0 45 184 45.0 38 
			 Peterborough UA 167 53.3 36 179 55.4 34 
			 Southend-on-Sea UA 130 47.4 49 146 51.1 45 
			 Thurrock UA 137 50.1 47 119 41.7 37 
			 Bedfordshire County 239 33.4 45 245 33.6 49 
			 Bedford 104 36.9 47 96 33.9 56 
			 Mid Bedfordshire 53 24.8 49 50 22.8 54 
			 South Bedfordshire 82 37.5 39 99 43.7 40 
			 Cambridgeshire County 302 31.7 46 289 29.9 48 
			 Cambridge 54 35.6 43 58 35.0 43 
			 East Cambridgeshire 29 22.5 55 18 14.0 50 
			 Fenland 78 54.9 33 81 54.3 32 
			 Huntingdonshire 93 31.1 48 98 33.3 54 
			 South Cambridgeshire 48 20.7 60 34 14.8 76 
			 Essex County 753 32.6 50 789 33.4 54 
			 Basildon 146 48.4 45 174 56.7 44 
			 Braintree 74 33.2 50 55 23.1 55 
			 Brentwood 25 21.1 44 32 27.1 78 
			 Castle Point 46 28.1 61 51 30.1 69 
			 Chelmsford 65 22.4 54 74 25.3 54 
			 Colchester 113 42.0 48 103 37.7 52 
			 Epping Forest 52 25.0 63 45 21.1 71 
			 Harlow 61 40.7 33 64 42.1 55 
			 Maldon 20 19.7 70 25 24.4 64 
			 Rochford 39 27.9 74 38 26.8 63 
			 Tendring 95 43.7 46 107 47.8 40 
			 Uttlesford 17 13.2 59 21 16.1 71 
			 Hertfordshire 547 29.2 56 568 29.8 55 
			 Broxbourne 57 36.3 67 59 37.3 61 
			 Dacorum 69 26.7 65 66 25.2 62 
			 East Hertfordshire 37 16.6 62 62 26.8 52 
			 Hertsmere 64 37.7 72 50 27.5 64 
			 North Hertfordshire 52 24.8 48 63 29.8 48 
			 St. Albans 40 17.6 58 47 20.5 64 
			 Stevenage 94 56.9 40 86 52.7 47 
			 Three Rivers 32 20.4 69 44 28.1 52 
			 Watford 46 34.3 39 34 25.2 59 
			 Welwyn Hatfield 56 32.4 55 57 32.1 51 
			 Norfolk 509 37.0 45 498 35.5 41 
			 Breckland 63 29.5 43 56 25.4 34 
			 Broadland 43 21.4 65 40 19.9 53 
			 Great Yarmouth 84 48.3 35 119 65.8 33 
			 Kings Lynn and West Norfolk 102 43.7 38 96 41.0 40 
			 North Norfolk 50 31.4 44 50 30.8 56 
			 Norwich 113 59.2 45 84 42.8 35 
			 South Norfolk 54 26.5 59 53 25.8 55 
			 Suffolk 351 29.3 40 407 33.3 44 
			 Babergh 33 21.0 52 44 27.0 45 
			 Forest Heath 28 31.6 36 22 23.9 45 
			 Ipswich 100 44.5 35 107 47.4 47 
			 Mid Suffolk 34 22.3 53 40 26.5 55 
			 St. Edmundsbury 40 25.0 40 37 22.6 32 
			 Suffolk Coastal 44 21.2 43 39 18.1 44 
			 Waveney 72 35.0 35 118 56.1 40 
			 (1) Conceptions for 2004 are provisional.   Notes:   1. Following ONS guidance on disclosure of abortion statistics, figures for 2003 and 2004 on percentage of conceptions leading to abortions have been suppressed where the count is less than 10 cases. Occasionally it has been necessary to apply a secondary suppression to avoid the possibility of disclosure by differencing.  2. Rates are per 1000 female population aged 15-17. 
		
	
	
		
			   2003  2004 
			   Number  Rate  Percentage leading to abortion  Number( 1)  Rate  Percentage leading to abortion 
			 East of England 3,374 33.3 46 3,389 32.8 47 
			 Luton UA 164 39.7 45 180 44.7 48 
			 Peterborough UA 155 48.0 32 175 53.8 31 
			 Southend-on-Sea UA 140 48.3 46 135 47.4 41 
			 Thurrock UA 120 41.1 38 123 43.1 48 
			 Bedfordshire County 255 34.4 50 242 32.3 52 
			 Bedford 112 38.7 54 118 40.6 53 
			 Mid Bedfordshire 58 25.6 60 49 21.5 55 
			 South Bedfordshire 85 37.6 36 75 32.5 47 
			 Cambridgeshire County 281 27.8 52 268 25.6 45 
			 Cambridge 54 30.1 50 46 24.4 43 
			 East Cambridgeshire 30 21.5 50 29 19.9 38 
			 Fenland 65 42.4 40 56 35.7 38 
			 Huntingdonshire 83 27.9 60 88 28.8 48 
			 South Cambridgeshire 49 20.4 55 49 19.4 53 
			 Essex County 780 31.8 48 773 30.6 52 
			 Basildon 170 54.2 50 131 40.4 39 
			 Braintree 81 32.6 53 73 28.1 42 
			 Brentwood 24 19.4 — 24 18.6 71 
			 Castle Point 57 32.6 54 53 30.4 66 
			 Chelmsford 71 23.0 48 82 25.6 66 
			 Colchester 88 30.4 52 96 32.0 39 
			 Epping Forest 53 24.5 70 66 29.7 64 
			 Harlow 79 52.2 38 85 55.1 53 
			 Maldon 24 21.8 58 26 23.6 69 
			 Rochford 31 21.3 42 33 22.3 64 
			 Tendring 85 36.9 24 85 35.1 49 
			 Uttlesford 17 12.3 — 19 13.5 53 
			 Hertfordshire 541 27.9 50 546 27.4 50 
			 Broxbourne 57 34.8 56 70 41.0 64 
			 Dacorum 68 25.8 50 63 23.7 37 
			 East Hertfordshire 50 20.7 56 55 21.2 65 
			 Hertsmere 50 27.2 52 50 26.5 64 
			 North Hertfordshire 67 32.0 46 52 24.1 38 
			 St. Albans 42 18.4 57 54 23.1 57 
			 Stevenage 76 47.6 38 58 35.3 28 
			 Three Rivers 36 21.8 47 42 25.1 57 
			 Watford 34 24.5 41 42 29.4 50 
			 Welwyn Hatfield 61 33.5 56 60 32.2 45 
			 Norfolk 530 37.4 43 513 35.8 43 
			 Breckland 75 34.7 32 69 30.7 41 
			 Broadland 40 19.5 63 48 23.4 65 
			 Great Yarmouth 104 57.0 44 104 58.4 37 
			 Kings Lynn and West Norfolk 103 44.2 37 87 36.6 38 
			 North Norfolk 59 36.1 53 60 36.2 47 
			 Norwich 113 54.3 41 104 49.9 40 
			 South Norfolk 36 17.1 53 41 19.3 49 
			 Suffolk 408 32.8 44 434 33.9 44 
			 Babergh 42 25.0 52 40 23.8 58 
			 Forest Heath 29 31.1 34 30 31.6 67 
			 Ipswich 104 46.0 45 129 55.1 36 
			 Mid Suffolk 52 34.1 46 33 20.3 52 
			 St. Edmundsbury 46 26.7 46 53 30.0 38 
			 Suffolk Coastal 52 23.4 54 64 28.0 58 
			 Waveney 83 39.4 34 85 39.6 34 
			 (1) Conceptions for 2004 are provisional.   Notes:  1. Following ONS guidance on disclosure of abortion statistics, figures for 2003 and 2004 on percentage of conceptions leading to abortions have been suppressed where the count is less than 10 cases. Occasionally it has been necessary to apply a secondary suppression to avoid the possibility of disclosure by differencing.  2. Rates are per 1000 female population aged 15-17.

World Cup

Mark Tami: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements he has made to attend matches at the World Cup.

Gordon Brown: As a guest of the German Government, which provided the ticket, I attended the England  v. Sweden World Cup match on 20 June.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Burma

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding the Government plan to allocate to the new three diseases fund for Burma.

Gareth Thomas: The concept of DFID involvement in the new multi-donor fund to tackle HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Burma was approved by Ministers in March 2006, but the level of DFID's contribution has yet to be finally approved. We anticipate a decision by early July 2006.

Burma

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether people in Burma receiving antiretroviral treatment through projects funded by his Department are able to receive regular and reliable blood tests to monitor the efficacy of such treatments.

Gareth Thomas: DFID funds antiretroviral treatment in Burma through the joint-donor Fund for HIV/AIDS in Myanmar (FHAM), to which DFID is the largest contributor, providing £10 million over five years. At 31 March 2006, the FHAM was providing antiretroviral treatment to 2,953 patients. All of those people are able to receive regular clinical follow-up and monitoring, including reliable blood tests, to monitor the efficacy of their treatments.
	Blood tests in the vast majority of cases include CD4 T-cell counts, which is a technique which monitors the response of the patient's immune system to the antiretroviral treatment. Materials and chemical reagents are sourced from reputable suppliers, and training of clinicians and laboratory scientists in these methodologies has been undertaken by the International NGOs involved and by the World Health Organisation (with FHAM funding).
	In the main referral centres in Yangon and Mandalay, automated CD4 counter machines are available and as antiretroviral treatment is provided to new areas in peripheral areas, additional manual CD4 counting equipment and reagents, will be supplied. Those organisations funded by FHAM who provide antiretroviral treatment but do not use CD4 T-cell counts instead test patients' blood using a process of clinical staging, which is also regarded as a good practice means of monitoring treatment efficacy. In addition, the introduction of a further test for the effectiveness of antiretroviral treatment is planned for the near future, when HIV viral load testing will be made available at the central National Health Laboratory, with the support of UNICEF.

Burma

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the number of Karen people internally displaced by the Burmese Government's recent attacks on Karen civilians.

Gareth Thomas: It is very difficult to provide a realistic estimate of the numbers of recently internally displaced Karen people because of the problems in obtaining data in Burma generally, and especially in areas of ongoing conflict. We have seen estimates ranging from 11,000 to 18,000 people and adopt a working assumption of approximately 15,000.

Flag Flying

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on how many days since May 1997 the St. George's Flag has been flown from his Department's buildings.

Gareth Thomas: DFID does not have any buildings in England which have a flagpole, and therefore does not fly the St. George's Flag.

Flag Flying

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's policy is on flying the  (a) St. George's Flag and  (b) EU Flag from departmental buildings.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has only one building with flagpoles, which is in Scotland, and therefore flags are flown in accordance with the directives issued by the Scottish Executive. The St. George's Flag is not flown; the European Flag is flown alongside the Union Flag on European Day.

Flag Flying

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will ensure the Union Flag is flown from his Department's buildings on every day the offices are open.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has only one building with flagpoles, which is in Scotland. Flags are therefore flown in accordance with the directives issued by the Scottish Executive.

Hospitality Expenses

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will keep a separate record of the amount spent annually by his Department on alcohol for hospitality purposes.

Hilary Benn: DFID keeps a record of the amount spent annually by the Department for hospitality purposes, but there are no plans at present to keep a separate record of the amount spent on alcohol.
	Expenditure in DFID is conducted in accordance with the principles of Government accounting as well as our own internal guidance.

Inter-American Development Bank

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment has been made of the compatibility of Inter-American Development Bank programmes with his Department's poverty objectives.

Gareth Thomas: The Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) plays an important role in assisting its borrowing member countries in their efforts to implement the Millennium Development Goals. This is in line with the IADB's mission of accelerating economic and social development and reducing poverty. DFID works closely with the IADB to tackle poverty and inequality, including support through a number of trust funds which are specifically designed to help the very poorest people in the region.

Legislation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which Private Member's Bills were drafted by his Department in each Session since 1997; and which of those received Royal Assent.

Hilary Benn: Members will consider a range of possible subjects before introducing their Private Member's Bills.
	Government draftsmen do draft some Bills in advance which are available as one of the options for Members to consider before they make their selection.
	However, Members may make subsequent amendments or revisions to a Government drafted Bill, or use it as the basis for a Private Member's Bill in the future.
	The information requested is therefore not collected.

World Health Organisation

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the outcomes of the recent World Health Organisation's World Health Assembly.

Gareth Thomas: My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Health Services led the UK Delegation to the World Health Assembly. The Assembly was overshadowed by the sudden death of the director general (DG), Dr. Lee. However, an acting director general (Anders Nordstrom) was approved and a process for selecting a new DG was agreed.
	Overall, it was a very difficult Assembly due to the loss of Dr. Lee. However, agreements were reached, which will improve global public health. The following items were of particular relevance to the development agenda.
	The General Programme of Work, which is essentially the World Health Organisation's (WHO) long-term vision (2006-15) was agreed. A key objective for the UK is to see the General Programme of Work linked to a new Medium-Term Strategic Plan which will be developed by 2008; along with the preparation of the next biannual budget.
	A new Global Strategy for the Prevention and control of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) was endorsed. This is an important strategy to re-invigorate and accelerate STI prevention and control, which is urgently required if countries are to achieve universal access to HIV prevention treatment and care, and to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights.
	In relation to HIV and AIDS, resolutions were also passed on nutrition and HIV/AIDS, and a resolution to endorse the Global Task Team recommendations on improving AIDS co-ordination among multilateral institutions and international donors. The Health Assembly also supported the WHO to develop a five-year-plan to help achieve universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment by 2010.
	A resolution was agreed on Intellectual Property Rights to improve access to medicines, vaccines and diagnostics for people in developing countries. The Assembly agreed to establish an intergovernmental working group to draw up a global strategy and plan of action based on the recommendations of the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Public Health.
	Other important resolutions for forwarding the development agenda included resolutions on eradication of polio, infant and young child nutrition, and emergency preparedness and response.
	A resolution on the role of nursing and midwifery was agreed, which is linked to the theme of the World Health Report on health work force issues. This is an important contribution to supporting the sustainable development of health systems.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Abandoned Vehicles

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many abandoned cars were recorded in each local authority in England in 2004-05; and what estimate has been made for 2005-06.

Ben Bradshaw: Numbers of abandoned vehicles in each local authority were primarily collected from WasteDataFlow in 2004-05: http://www.wastedataflow.org. Results from authorities that responded are listed in the following table. Results for 2005-06 are not yet available and estimates have not been made.
	
		
			  Local Authority  Abandoned Vehicles 2004-05 
			 Adur 279 
			 Allerdale 78 
			 Alnwick 23 
			 Arun 439 
			 Ashfield 291 
			 Ashford 214 
			 Aylesbury Vale 206 
			 Babergh 349 
			 Barking and Dagenham 940 
			 Barnet 2,593 
			 Barrow-in-Furness 63 
			 Basildon 573 
			 Basingstoke and Deane 345 
			 Bassetlaw 153 
			 Bath and NE Somerset UA 501 
			 Bedford 654 
			 Berwick-upon-Tweed 27 
			 Bexley 781 
			 Birmingham UA 2,273 
			 Blaby 85 
			 Blackburn with Darwen UA 493 
			 Blackpool UA 196 
			 Blyth Valley 129 
			 Bolton 312 
			 Boston 232 
			 Bracknell Forest UA 162 
			 Bradford UA 1,025 
			 Braintree 276 
			 Brent 1,014 
			 Bridgnorth 23 
			 Bromley 581 
			 Bromsgrove 151 
			 Broxtowe 177 
			 Bury 125 
			 Calderdale UA 308 
			 Camden 1,069 
			 Canterbury 305 
			 Carlisle 245 
			 Carrick 174 
			 Castle Morpeth 43 
			 Castle Point 136 
			 Chester 292 
			 Chesterfield 49 
			 Chester-le-Street 202 
			 Chichester 256 
			 Chiltern 110 
			 Christchurch 20 
			 City of Bristol UA 772 
			 City of Kingston-upon-Hull UA 1,575 
			 City of London 100 
			 Copeland 57 
			 Cotswold 69 
			 County of Herefordshire UA 301 
			 Coventry UA 474 
			 Craven 29 
			 Dacorum 514 
			 Darlington UA 297 
			 Dartford 121 
			 Derby UA 635 
			 Derbyshire Dales 25 
			 Derwentside 90 
			 Doncaster UA 2,275 
			 Dover 171 
			 East Dorset 75 
			 East Hampshire 123 
			 East Hertfordshire 286 
			 East Northamptonshire 158 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire UA 370 
			 East Staffordshire 181 
			 Eastbourne 301 
			 Eden 27 
			 Enfield 2,368 
			 Epsom and Ewell 251 
			 Fenland 142 
			 Forest of Dean 150 
			 Gateshead UA 83 
			 Gedling 194 
			 Gloucester 1,467 
			 Gosport 214 
			 Gravesham 390 
			 Great Yarmouth 568 
			 Greenwich 1,879 
			 Guildford 279 
			 Hambleton 25 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,296 
			 Haringey 1,594 
			 Harlow 474 
			 Harrogate 126 
			 Hart 120 
			 Hartlepool UA 293 
			 Havant 174 
			 Hertsmere 121 
			 High Peak 60 
			 Hillingdon 310 
			 Hinckley and Bosworth 65 
			 Horsham 173 
			 Hounslow 1,448 
			 Hyndburn 85 
			 Ipswich 1,510 
			 Isle of Wight UA 225 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 
			 Islington 927 
			 Kennet 73 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 138 
			 Kerrier 281 
			 Kirklees UA 674 
			 Lambeth 484 
			 Leicester UA 967 
			 Lewes 197 
			 Lichfield 50 
			 Lincoln 84 
			 Liverpool 902 
			 Luton UA 2,097 
			 Macclesfield 83 
			 Maidstone 184 
			 Malvern Hills 35 
			 Manchester 182 
			 MedwayUA 3,154 
			 Melton 121 
			 Merton 3,036 
			 Mid Bedfordshire 102 
			 Mid Suffolk 127 
			 Mid Sussex 164 
			 Middlesbrough UA 260 
			 Mole Valley 715 
			 New Forest 212 
			 Newark and Sherwood 101 
			 North Dorset 100 
			 North East Derbyshire 52 
			 North East Lincolnshire UA 580 
			 North Hertfordshire 612 
			 North Kesteven 778 
			 North Lincolnshire UA 149 
			 North Somerset UA 308 
			 North Tyneside UA 319 
			 North West Leicestershire 57 
			 North Wiltshire 50 
			 Nottingham UA 2,502 
			 Nuneaton and Bedworth 192 
			 Oadby and Wigston 87 
			 Oswestry 34 
			 Oxford 2,083 
			 Pendle 88 
			 Penwith 342 
			 Peterborough UA 1,194 
			 Poole UA 204 
			 Portsmouth UA 659 
			 Purbeck 34 
			 Reading UA 299 
			 Reigate and Banstead 269 
			 Restormel 261 
			 Ribble Valley 20 
			 Richmond upon Thames 494 
			 Rochdale 277 
			 Rossendale 506 
			 Rotherham UA 315 
			 Rugby 149 
			 Runnymede 144 
			 Rushcliffe 197 
			 Rushmoor 119 
			 Rutland UA 28 
			 Ryedale 10 
			 Salisbury 114 
			 Sedgefield 186 
			 Sedgemoor 244 
			 Sefton 42 
			 Selby 45 
			 Sevenoaks 163 
			 Sheffield UA 547 
			 Shepway 179 
			 Shrewsbury and Atcham 79 
			 Solihull UA 1,047 
			 South Buckinghamshire 158 
			 South Cambridgeshire 212 
			 South Derbyshire 31 
			 South Gloucestershire UA 706 
			 South Hams 136 
			 South Holland 243 
			 South Lakeland 96 
			 South Norfolk 66 
			 South Oxfordshire 251 
			 South Ribble 127 
			 South Shropshire 20 
			 South Staffordshire 48 
			 Southampton UA 1,465 
			 Southend-on-Sea UA 1,036 
			 Spelthorne 673 
			 St. Albans 227 
			 St. Edmundsbury 522 
			 Staffordshire Moorlands 27 
			 Stockpor 322 
			 Stockton-on-Tees UA 328 
			 Suffolk Coastal 318 
			 Sunderland UA 201 
			 Surrey Heath 102 
			 Sutton 474 
			 Swale 260 
			 Swindon UA 481 
			 Tameside 1,509 
			 Tamworth 227 
			 Tandridge 210 
			 Taunton Deane 136 
			 Teesdale 12 
			 Teignbridge 272 
			 Telford and Wrekin UA 223 
			 Test Valley 264 
			 Tewkesbury 360 
			 Thanet 452 
			 ThurrockUA 1,272 
			 Tonbridge and Mailing 133 
			 Torbay UA 383 
			 Torridge 72 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,322 
			 Tunbridge Wells 168 
			 Tynedale 46 
			 Vale of White Horse 216 
			 Vale Royal 253 
			 Wakefield UA 262 
			 Waltham Forest 1,333 
			 Wandsworth 2,096 
			 Wansbeck 122 
			 Watford 238 
			 Waveney 218 
			 Wealden 282 
			 Wellingborough 217 
			 Welwyn Hatfield 277 
			 West Dorset 303 
			 West Lancashire 149 
			 West Oxfordshire 185 
			 West Somerset 23 
			 Westminster 210 
			 Weymouth and Portland 122 
			 Winchester 120 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead UA 190 
			 Wirral 961 
			 Woking 103 
			 Wolverhampton UA 456 
			 Worthing 287 
			 Wyre 46 
			 Wyre Forest 61 
			 York UA 944

Badgers

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what trials of badger body snares are taking place; what the  (a) objectives,  (b) process and  (c) procedures of the trials are.

Ben Bradshaw: A study protocol for current work to assess the effectiveness and humaneness of a possible body snare designed to restrain badgers will be placed in the House Library. A full report of this work will be published following peer review.

Badgers

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many inquiries have been made to his Department about dealing with badgers causing damage in Castle Point in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department keeps no central records of the number of inquiries it receives about badgers causing damage. However under section 10 of the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, DEFRA has received 29 applications for licences to interfere with badger setts in the Castle Point area since 5 May 2001 when electronic recording of applications began.
	These applications were received in the following years:
	
		
			   Applications 
			 2001 3 
			 2002 3 
			 2003 10 
			 2004 6 
			 2005 5 
			 2006 (To date) 2

Badgers

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will visit Castle Point to examine the damage caused by the local badger population.

Ben Bradshaw: I am grateful for the hon. Member's invitation. However, I am already aware of concerns about damage caused by badgers in Castle Point. DEFRA wildlife advisers have advised on several occasions about the action which can be taken, and appropriate licences have been granted in some cases.

Bottle Production

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of how much energy is used to produce  (a) plastic and  (b) glass water bottles.

Ian Pearson: Neither Defra nor the Carbon Trust holds this information. Defra collects data on energy use by the food industry. However it is not possible to break down the data to the level needed to estimate the energy used to produce plastic or glass bottles for packaging spring or mineral waters. Energy use in producing bottles is, in any case, only one factor that needs to be taken into account—along with others such as transport, and re-use or re-cycling of materials—when assessing which type of packaging is the best sustainable option.

Bovine TB

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the specificity was of the gamma interferon test using the  (a) standard purified protein derivative,  (b) ESAT6 and CFP10 peptides and  (c) ESAT6 and CFP10 peptides in combination with the standard purified protein derivative in research undertaken by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency; and what the confidence limits were in each case.

Ben Bradshaw: The results of the trial to determine the specificity of the gamma interferon test undertaken by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency, for the conditions listed above, were as follows:
	 (a) PPD-B minus PPD-A: 96.7 per cent. (95 per cent. Cl: 95.6 - 97.8)
	 (b) ESAT-6/CFP-10 peptides: 97.0 per cent. (95 per cent. Cl: 95.9 - 98.1)
	 (c) PPD-B minus PPD-A AND ESAT-6/CFP10 peptides combined: 99.2 per cent. (95 per cent. 01:98.6-99.8).

Bovine TB

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by what date the Gamma Interferon Working Group has been asked to report to Ministers; and what discussions members of the group have had with the Independent Scientific Group.

Ben Bradshaw: The Gamma Interferon Working Group will provide Ministers with a progress report later this month. It will outline proposals for, and the scope of, the wider roll-out of the test later this year. In the meantime, Defra continues to apply the gamma interferon test in a range of prescribed circumstances.
	Members of the Gamma Interferon Working Group have held various discussions with the Independent Scientific Group (ISG). The ISG has endorsed the group's proposals.

Bovine TB

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether the Gamma Interferon Working Group has been provided with the results of research by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency into the specificity of the gamma interferon test using the ESAT6 and CFP10 peptides in combination with the standard purified protein derivative;
	(2)  when research was completed by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency into the specificity of the gamma interferon test using ESAT6 and CFP10 peptides in combination with the standard purified protein derivative; and what reports have been produced on the subject.

Ben Bradshaw: The study by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency into the specificity of the gamma interferon test in GB cattle was completed on 31 March 2006. A report was submitted to Defra and the Independent Scientific Group Secretariat on 19 April 2006.

Bovine TB

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when his Department was first advised by the Independent Scientific Group to consider using the gamma interferon tuberculosis test in combination with the standard intra dermal skin test to identify bovine tuberculosis in the national herd.

Ben Bradshaw: The Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISG) first advised the Department of the need for improved diagnosis, and of the potential value of the gamma interferon test to complement the tuberculin test, during the first half of 2000.
	The ISG proposed a programme of study on gamma interferon to provide essential laboratory and field information. The Department subsequently sponsored a small feasibility study into the practicalities of using the gamma interferon test, and a pilot field trial was undertaken between October 2002 and October 2005.
	Defra uses the gamma interferon test on an ad hoc basis in identified problem TB herds. About 9,000 tests were undertaken in 2005.

Bovine TB

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what cost-benefit assessment his Department has made of employing a gamma interferon test using ESAT6 and CFP10 peptides in combination with the standard purified protein derivative.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has not conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the use of ESAT6 and CFP10 in combination with the standard purified protein derivative (PPD). Although the use of these more specific antigens may reduce the small numbers of false positive diagnoses, there is also some loss in sensitivity, that is, the chances of detecting truly infected animals. The available standard commercial assay uses PPD alone.

Carbon Emissions

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel sources produced by  (a) a gas-fired power station,  (b) a coal-fired power station,  (c) an oil-fired power station,  (d) an electricity-only waste to energy incinerator and  (e) a combined heat and electricity waste to energy incinerator.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 15 June 2006
	The amount of carbon dioxide generated by different types of power station, per kilowatt hour of electricity produced, is given in the following table.
	Emissions from a combined heat and power (CHP) plant will be the same per unit of electricity generated as that of a conventional plant. However the heat generated by a CHP plant may be used to offset emissions that would otherwise be generated by additional energy used for heating. Good quality CHP plants typically offer an additional carbon saving of between 25 and 30 per cent. of that generated by conventional plants.
	
		
			  Type of power plant  CO 2  (kg)/kWh electricity generated 
			 Coal 1.09 
			 Oil 1.17 
			 Gas 0.47 
			 Unprocessed municipal solid waste to electricity (1)0.60 
			 Unprocessed municipal solid waste to electricity and CHP (30 per cent. additional efficiency) 0.42 
			 (1 )Non-biogenic fraction only.

Electrical Goods

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to encourage electrical manufacturers to incorporate more recyclable materials in household electrical goods.

Ben Bradshaw: The waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) directive is a producer responsibility directive, which aims to reduce the quantity of waste from electrical and electronic equipment and increase re-use, recovery and recycling. It requires member states to ensure that producers (or third parties acting on their behalf) set up systems to provide for the collection, treatment, recovery and environmentally sound disposal of WEEE. The directive sets out treatment requirements and recovery targets and it is the producer who is responsible for meeting these.
	On 15 December 2005, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announced a review of the policy on implementation of the WEEE directive. This review has now concluded, and the DTI will be consulting on the draft regulations and accompanying guidance shortly.
	Additionally, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is currently completing a major research project to develop a process capable of removing brominated flame retardants from WEEE plastics. Under the requirements of the directive, brominated flame retardants containing plastics have to be treated separately from those not containing them. The project was led by Axion Recycling and has built on technology initially developed by the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany.

Fly-tipping

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment the Environment Agency has made of the change in the level of fly-tipping since 2001.

Ben Bradshaw: No national data were previously available before Flycapture, the national database for fly-tipping incidents, was launched in April 2004. Every waste collection authority in England has now registered to submit data to the Environment Agency, with around 90 per cent. submitting regular returns. Results from the first year's data showed that an average of over 88,500 fly-tipping incidents per month were reported in the period April 2004 to March 2005. Data for 2005-06 are currently being analysed.
	The Flycapture database should help us build up a more accurate picture of illegally dumped waste, as well as providing a useful management tool for local authorities in tackling the problem.

Local Authority Statistics

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what statistics his Department collects from local authorities on  (a) litter,  (b) fly-tipping and  (c) clean streets.

Ben Bradshaw: All local authorities (excluding county councils) submit annual data on the cleanliness of their areas through Best Value Performance Indicator 199a. Data are also collected through the Local Environmental Quality Survey of England run by ENCAMS (Environmental Campaigns).
	Waste collection authorities are required to submit data on fly-tipping via Flycapture, the national fly-tipping database established in April 2004.
	Flycapture gathers summary data on the number of fly-tipping incidents dealt with by local authorities and the Environment Agency, as well as actions taken to deal with the problem. Every waste collection authority in England and Wales has now registered to submit data, with around 90 per cent. regularly submitting returns.
	In addition, the internet-based system, WasteDataFlow, collects data on the amount of municipal waste collected by local authorities on a quarterly basis. This includes the amount of municipal waste arising from street cleaning and fly-tipping where this is collected under the control of the local authority: http://www.wastedataflow.org/

Renewable Energy

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether energy generated as a by-product of a mass-burn incineration plant is classed as a renewable energy source.

Ben Bradshaw: The EU renewables directive classifies the biodegradable element of waste as a renewable energy source.

TB Losses (Compensation)

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the compensation level payable to farmers for lost stock due to tuberculosis is; how this has changed recently; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 20 June 2006
	On 1 February 2006, a new table valuation-based compensation system was introduced for cattle owners in England, whose cattle are affected by bovine TB, brucellosis or Enzootic Bovine Leucosis.
	Compensation in England is now determined primarily using table valuations, based on average market prices for 47 pre-determined cattle categories; these are based on the animal's age, gender, type (dairy or beef) and status (that is, pedigree or non-pedigree). The relevant new procedures are covered in the Cattle Compensation (England) Order 2006.
	Further information on compensation for bovine TB can be found on Defra's website at: http://www.defra.gov. uk/animalh/tb/control/compensation.htm

Waste Management

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the impact on waste management of  (a) the introduction of recycling facilities and  (b) mandatory bottle return and recycling schemes in supermarkets.

Ben Bradshaw: The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has been leading a £1.2 million project to help retailers pilot new ways of encouraging householders to recycle their waste at supermarkets. The project has looked at whether these new approaches, including the use of new technology in bring banks and incentives such as discount vouchers, could help bolster recycling rates and attract new recyclers.
	A report on the success of this project will be available soon.

Waste Management

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of waste was recycled in each local authority in Yorkshire and Humber in each year since 2003-04.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 20 June 2006
	The percentages of household waste recycled and composted(1) by local authorities in the Yorkshire and Humber region in 2003-04 and 2004-05 are provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Household waste recycled and composted in Yorkshire and Humber region 
			  Percentage 
			  Authority  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Barnsley MBC 13 17.68 
			 Bradford MDC 13.12 16.73 
			 Calderdale MBC 13.62 17.05 
			 Craven DC 18.03 21.41 
			 Doncaster MBC 13.46 18.24 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire Council 14.40 18.77 
			 Hambleton DC 23.67 34.52 
			 Harrogate BC 15 15.63 
			 Kingston upon Hull Council 10.72 13.28 
			 Kirklees MBC 14.20 16.23 
			 Leeds City Council 14.60 19.56 
			 North East Lincolnshire Council 19.66 21.18 
			 North Yorkshire County Council 19.54 24.09 
			 Richmondshire DC 10.12 11.99 
			 Rotherham MBC 14.90 21 
			 Ryedale DC 14.70 25.4 
			 Scarborough BC 12.41 14.87 
			 Selby DC 12.27 14.71 
			 Sheffield City Council 12.2 17.14 
			 Wakefield MDC 17.01 21.27 
			 York City Council 15.43 17.77 
		
	
	(1) The household waste recycling rate is the sum of Best Value Performance Indicators 82 a and b

Water Framework Directive

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether members of the Consumer Council for Water will contribute to the introduction of the Water Framework Directive via membership of river basin district liaison panels.

Ian Pearson: Defra's consultation report on River Basin Planning Guidance, published in December 2005, makes clear that the river basin district liaison panels will include representatives from all relevant sectors, including those representing sections of the public affected by the implementation of the Water Framework Directive. The Environment Agency, as competent authority for implementation of the Water Framework Directive in England, has decided that there will be Consumer Council for Water representatives on all the river basin district liaison panels.

Water Poverty

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on developing a joint approach to overcoming water poverty.

Ian Pearson: I have had no specific discussions with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland about this issue. However, I am aware of the approach to water affordability being taken in Northern Ireland, in particular the new affordability tariff. This is being introduced in response to particular circumstances which do not apply in England and Wales. Northern Ireland has a public sector water service while in England and Wales the industry has been fully privatised since 1989. A parallel cannot be drawn between the positions in Northern Ireland and England.

Whaling

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations he has made to  (a) Japan,  (b) Norway and  (c) Iceland on their policy on whaling.

Ben Bradshaw: With colleagues from 16 other countries led by Brazil, HM ambassador in Tokyo delivered a demarche to the Government of Japan on 16 January, protesting in the strongest terms on Japan's plans to expand its so-called "scientific" whaling activities. The UK Government, in common with those of a majority of International Whaling Commission (IWC) members, has regularly criticised Japanese scientific whaling programmes in both the North Pacific (JARPN) and the Southern ocean (JARPA) as being of little scientific value and urged Japan to terminate them forthwith.
	On 20 April the British Charge d'Affaires in Oslo on behalf of the UK and 11 other countries delivered a demarche to the Norwegian Government, urging it to stop its commercial whaling programme. We continue to press Norway to desist from commercial whaling, which we believe to be contrary to the spirit of the International Whaling Commission moratorium.
	We also persist with our strong opposition to Iceland's continuing "scientific whaling" programme and made our objections very clear with regard to Icelandic whaling at the last annual IWC meeting in Korea, and at a recent meeting with the Icelandic Fisheries Ministers.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Regional Casinos

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she plans to recommend changes to the shortlist drawn up by the Casino Advisory Panel for the regional casino licence that will be granted under the Gambling Act 2005.

Richard Caborn: No. Ministers will not be involved in the work and decision making of the Panel, which is independent from Government.
	The Casino Advisory Panel will make its recommendations on the local authority areas for the 17 new casinos permitted under the Gambling Act 2005 to the Secretary of State by the end of 2006.

Regional Casinos

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what meetings she has had with hon. Members in the constituencies which submitted proposals for a regional casino to the Casino Advisory Panel; and what issues were discussed at each meeting.

Richard Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met the hon. Member for Coventry, South (Mr. Cunningham) and the hon. Member for Coventry, North-West (Mr. Robinson) on 5 June.
	The Secretary of State explained that the Panel was independent from Government and that any representations by Coventry should be made to the Panel, not Ministers.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Business Rates

Eric Pickles: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much the Palace of Westminster has paid in business rates in each year since 1997-98.

Nick Harvey: The sums paid by the House of Commons in business rates for the Palace of Westminster in each year from 1997-98 were as follows:
	
		
			   Rates paid( 1)  (£)  Revised rates( 2)  (£) 
			 1997-98 1,820,550 — 
			 1998-99 1,884,150 — 
			 1999-2000 1,939,800 — 
			 2000-01 2,288,000 1,976,000 
			 2001-02 2,365,000 2,042,500 
			 2002-03 2,403,500 2,075,750 
			 2003-04 2,442,000 2,109,000 
			 2004-05 2,508,000 2,166,000 
			 2005-06 1,804,050 — 
			 (1) Prior to 2000-01 Contributions in Lieu of Rates, (CILOR), applied to the Palace of Westminster as Crown land.  (2 )For the rates period from 2000-01 to 2004-05 the valuation was successfully appealed, resulting in a reduced rating valuation and a subsequent rebate as shown as the revised rates figure.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Age Positive Week

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the costs of Age Positive Week were, broken down by main budget heading.

James Purnell: Information that is available is in the following table.
	
		
			  Age positive week 2006 
			   Cost (£) 
			 Events 88,468.06 
			 PR/Media 29,142.55 
			 Advertising 68,299.00 
			 Total 185,909.61 
			  Notes: 1. Age Positive Week is part of DWP's activity to raise awareness of issues around our extending working life and age diversity agenda. The activities for the Week will have been complemented by ongoing PR activity and these costs are included above. 2. Cost of the events include refreshments, speakers, event management, and other associated costs. 3. All costs are exclusive of VAT

Allowances Rules

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the potential cost of ceasing to offset carer's allowance against bereavement allowance.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 7 June 2006
	The estimated annual cost of ceasing to offset carer's allowance against bereavement allowance in the overlapping benefit rules would be around £3 million, although that figure does not take account of bereaved people who currently decline to claim carer's allowance but who would be induced to do so by a change in legislation.

Benefit Fraud

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of fraud in  (a) income support,  (b) jobseeker's allowance,  (c) pension credit and  (d) housing benefit in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: The information is in the following tables:
	
		
			  Income support, jobseeker's allowance and pension credit fraud overpayments 
			  April to March each year  Income Support (not including pensioners)  Jobseeker's Allowance  Income Support for pensioners/Pension Credit 
			  2000-01
			 Percentage of benefit overpaid 5.2 7.0 2.1 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 490 200 90 
			 
			  2001-02
			 Percentage of benefit overpaid 4.3 6.6 2.2 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 430 170 100 
			 
			  2002-03
			 Percentage of benefit overpaid 4.3 4.9 1.2 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 440 130 60 
			 
			  2003-04
			 Percentage of benefit overpaid 3.0 3.4 1.3 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 310 90 70 
			 
			  2004-05
			 Percentage of benefit overpaid 2.3 2.2 1.0 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 240 50 60 
			  Notes: 1. The figures for April 2003 to March 2004 and April 2004 to March 2005 in the table have been adjusted to compensate for data quality problems. Previous figures have not been adjusted in this way as there is insufficient available information. The tables therefore are not suitable for making reliable comparisons over time. 2. The reports are available online at www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd2/fraud.asp  Source: National Statistics reports 
		
	
	
		
			  April to March each year  Housing benefit (HB) fraud overpayments 
			  2002-03  
			 Percentage of benefit overpaid 1.9 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 250 
			   
			  2003-04  
			 Percentage of benefit overpaid 1.4 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 170 
			   
			  2004-05  
			 Percentage of benefit overpaid 1.3 
			 Overpaid (£ million) 170 
			  Notes: 1. These figures are made up of reviews of around 85 per cent of HB expenditure (used for measuring performance against the relevant PSA target to reduce fraud and error in HB) combined with more approximate estimates of error in the remaining 15 per cent. of expenditure. Further details are available in the relevant National Statistics reports. 2. The reports are available online at www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd2/fraud_hb/fraud_hb.asp  Source: National Statistics reports.

Benefit Fraud

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases of fraudulent claims for benefits were identified in each of the last five years; how many involved identity fraud; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: Information is not available on the number of cases of identity fraud. The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Cases where incorrect payment identified by a benefit fraud investigation 
			   Effective cases 
			 2001-02 160,974 
			 2002-03 145,232 
			 2003-04 135,710 
			 2004-05 150,651 
			 2005-06 161,172 
			  Notes: 1. The information available is based on the number of "effective cases", which includes all cases where a change of benefit entitlement is identified as a result of a fraud investigation. 2. Effective cases are a total of benefit fraud cases plus Instrument of Payment fraud cases for all years. 3. Figures exclude General Matching Service.  Source: Fraud information by Sector (FiBS)

Benefit Fraud

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals from EU accession states have been found to be fraudulently claiming  (a) jobseeker's allowance and  (b) housing benefit since accession.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available. The Department does not maintain a record of benefit offences by nationality.

Bereavement Allowance

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to increase the number of men receiving bereavement allowance; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: We keep under review the way in which information is made available about benefits so that bereaved people, at this very difficult time in their lives, know about their possible right to benefit and can act on it at the right time.
	As well as traditional sources of information we are working in partnership with funeral directors, registrars and voluntary groups such as Cruse, the National Association of Widows and Citizens Advice Bureaux who may be contacted by bereaved people. In addition we will continue to look for opportunities across Government and their services as they develop, to improve advice about this particular benefit, to those most in need of it—the newly bereaved.

Carers

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what  (a) benefits and  (b) other assistance are offered by his Department to those who act as carers for (i) ill and (ii) disabled relatives in Wirral, West.

Anne McGuire: The administration of carer's allowance is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Martyn Craske:
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what  (a) benefits and  (b) other assistance are offered by his Department to those who act as carers for (i) ill and (ii) disabled relatives in Wirral West.
	The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service. In the Chief Executive's absence I have been asked to reply on his behalf.
	In answer to parts  (a) and  (b) of your question, depending on their personal circumstances, carers have access to the full range of social security benefits. Those who provide regular and substantial care of at least 35 hours a week for a severely disabled person receiving Attendance Allowance or the equivalent rates of the Disability Living Allowance care component can be entitled to a Carer's Allowance and if on a low income, to the carer premium in the income-related benefits or the carer's additional amount in Pension Credit.
	Information on the recipients of carer's related benefits in Wirral West is provided in the attached Appendix.
	I hope you find the information helpful.
	
		
			  Appendix: Recipients of carer's related benefits in the Westminster parliamentary constituency of Wirral, West, November 2005 
			  Benefit  Claimants 
			 Carer's Allowance 690 
			 Carer's Additional Amount paid with Pension Credit 320 
			  Carer's Premium with income- related benefits:  
			 Income Support 320 
			 Income based Jobseeker's Allowance — 
			  Definition and convention "—" nil or negligible.  Notes: 1. Carer's allowance: Total shows the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 2. Pension credit: Pension credit was introduced on 6 October 2003 and replaced minimum income guarantee (income support for people aged 60 or over). 3. Parliamentary constituencies are allocated by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS Postcode Directory. 4. A smaller number of former MIG cases did not convert to pension credit on 6 October 2003. These cases have been excluded from the figures and are mainly cases where the claimant is aged under 60 and the partner over 60. 5. IS, PC and CA figures are taken from 100 per cent. WPLS data and are rounded to the nearest 10. 6. JSA (IB) figure is derived by applying 5 per cent. proportions to 100 per cent. WPLS data and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation. 7. November 2005 is the latest published data available.  Source: DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS). Information Directorate, 5 per cent. samples. 
		
	
	Information on housing benefit (HB) and council tax benefit (CTB) recipients with a carer premium in the North West Government Office Region (GOR) is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  HB/CTB recipients with a carer premium in the North West Government Office Region 
			   May 2004 (Thousand) 
			 Housing Benefit 24 
			 Council Tax Benefit 32 
			  Notes: 1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand. 2. HB/CTB data refer to households and may be a single person or a couple. 3. HB figures exclude any extended payment cases. 4. CTB figures exclude any single adult rebate cases. 5. The figures are based on a 1 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation. 6. May 2004 are the latest data available. 7. The lowest level the figures can be broken down to is GOR, therefore figures have been provided for North West Government Office Region.  Source: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, Annual 1 per cent. sample, taken in May 2004.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what his latest estimate is of the cost to his Department of Sir David Henshaw's review of the Child Support Agency, broken down by  (a) travel costs,  (b) salary costs for Sir David Henshaw,  (c) other staff costs,  (d) telephone costs and  (e) other costs; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whom Sir David Henshaw has interviewed to date for his review of the future of the Child Support Agency;
	(3)  by what date he plans to make a statement on the future of the Child Support Agency; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The redesign of child support is ongoing. Sir David Henshaw will deliver his findings to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions before the summer recess. It is the intention to publish Sir David Henshaw's report when a statement is made to the House.
	The Henshaw redesign's estimated total costs between February 2006 and July 2006 will be as follows:
	
		
			   Estimated cost (£) 
			  Sir David Henshaw's:  
			 Time 54,000 
			 Redesign secretariat staffing 200,000 
			 Redesign non-staff costs and publication up to 75,000 
			 Redesign research/consultation 50,000 
			  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000. 
		
	
	The DWP also meets the costs of general office overheads such as accommodation and IT. These costs are not separately identifiable from DWP running costs.
	Information on costs to this Department are not yet available. The redesign secretariat is staffed by employees from the Department for Work and Pensions and the Cabinet Office and the costs detailed are an estimate of the direct costs of Sir David Henshaw and his team for both Departments.
	Sir David Henshaw's report will contain the details of the costs incurred by this Department and representations made to him.

Child Support Agency

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of the cases agreed under the old Child Support Agency system have been varied; and at what cost.

James Plaskitt: The information requested is not available.

Child Support Agency

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Department's press release of 26 September 2005, why the gateway service for help with the resolution of potential Child Support Agency cases has not been established to date; and what representations he has received on this issue.

James Plaskitt: The extent to which mediators could be used to secure agreement between the parents on the subject of child support maintenance is clearly an area to be considered by Sir David Henshaw in his redesign. He is looking at initiatives across Government, including those in the Department for Constitutional Affairs and the Department for Education and Skills, with the aim of identifying scope for closer working so that all Government interventions will ensure parents both take financial responsibility for their children and reach agreements that reflect the best interests of their children.

Child Support Agency

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much he estimates the Henshaw Review of the Child Support Agency will cost.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 13 June 2006
	The Henshaw redesign's estimated total costs between February 2006 and July 2006 will be as follows:
	
		
			   Estimated cost (£) 
			  Sir David Henshaw's:  
			 Time 54,000 
			 Redesign secretariat staffing 200,000 
			 Redesign non-staff costs and publication up to 75,000 
			 Redesign research/ consultation 50,000 
			  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £1000. 
		
	
	The DWP also meets the costs of general office overheads such as accommodation and IT. These costs are not separately identifiable from DWP running costs.

Error Task Force

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have worked in the Error Task Force in each year since it was introduced, broken down by civil service grade; what targets have been set for the Task Force; when it is expected to report to Ministers; and whether its report will be published.

James Plaskitt: The Official Error Task Force was set up in January 2006 with the aim of reducing official error in income support, jobseekers allowance and pension credit during 2006-07. It meets monthly with membership representing key policy and operational areas.
	Information regarding the number of people who have participated in the Official Error Task Force broken down by civil service grade is in the table.
	
		
			  Official Error Task Force 
			  Civil service grade  Full-time/part-time  Number of staff 
			 SCS Part-time 4 
			 UG6 Part-time 2 
			 UG7 Part-time 4 
			 SEO Full-time 1 
			 HEO Full-time 1 
		
	
	The Task Force is also working with a number of people to implement its improvement activities. It reports directly to the Permanent Secretary. Progress reports are provided to Ministers on a regular basis.
	The first set of official error estimates covering the period of the Task Force is due to be published in summer 2007.

European Social Fund

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library the information given to me under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding how much companies, contracting bodies and local authorities received in each of the last five years from the European Social Fund.

James Plaskitt: The information has been placed in the Library.

Family Credit

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the take-up rates were for family credit for each year of its existence; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Estimates of take-up for family credit 
			  Percentage 
			   Caseload take-up rate  Expenditure take-up rate 
			 1988 and 1989 57 67 
			 1990 and 1991 62 66 
			 1991 and 1992 66 73 
			 1993-94 71 81 
			 1994-95 69 82 
			 1995-96 70 83 
			 1996-97 71 to 75 82 to 88 
			 1997-98 67 to 70 75 to 81 
			 1998-99 66 to 70 73 to 79 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload take-up compares the number of benefit recipients, averaged over the year, with the number who would be receiving if everyone took up their entitlement. 2. Expenditure take-up compares the total amount of benefit received, in the course of the year, with the total amount that would be received if everyone took up their entitlement for the full period of their entitlement. 3. The estimates exclude the full-time self-employed, and cover private households only. 4. Estimates for 1988 to 1992 are sourced from the Family Expenditure Survey, and cover calendar years. These years have been combined due to small sample sizes in each of the years. 5. Estimates for 1998 and 1999 are based on the calendar year 1989 and April to December 1988. 6. Family credit was replaced with working families tax credit in October 1999; take-up statistics for the period April 1999 to October 1999 were not published. 7. Due to small samples sizes on the FES for family credit, estimates are open to a significant margin of error. 8. The source for estimates for 1993-94 to 1998-99 is the Family Resources Survey, and covers financial years.  9. Estimates up until 1995-96 were presented as point estimates. Thereafter, estimates were presented as ranges as the point estimate was adjusted to take account of sampling variation. Estimates were not adjusted to take account of possible bias, so the Department is less confident that the true level of take-up lies within the ranges given, than it is for other benefits. 10. Estimates were published in "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-up" series. Copies are available in the Library.

Information Technology

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on information technology (IT) sourced from outside his Department in each of the last five years; who is responsible for such projects in his Department; and what IT  (a) expertise and  (b) qualifications they possess.

James Purnell: The information in the table lists the Department's IT spend sourced outside the DWP over the five years 2001-02 to 2005-06.
	
		
			  Financial year  Spend (£ million) 
			 2005-06 1,156 
			 2004-05 1,070 
			 2003-04 1,073 
			 2002-03 941 
			 2001-02 651 
		
	
	The Department's Chief Information Officer (CIO) is responsible for the delivery of projects that relate to IT and the Department's modernisation programme—in co-ordination with the client groups, agencies and corporate functions—to ensure procurement of effective, reliable information systems and services that give value for money. The Chief Information Officer is also Head of Profession for programme and project management and for information systems.
	The Department's Chief Information Officer, client group and corporate Directors General and agency Chief Executives have extensive experience of delivering major projects in the public and private sectors.

Interest-only Mortgages

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will raise the £100,000 limit on interest-only mortgages for people on benefit who are disabled and have adaptations made to their homes.

James Plaskitt: Help with interest payments is limited to the interest on outstanding capital of £100,000. The only exception to this rule is where the loan is needed to make the home suitable for a disabled member of the household.

Language Line

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the annual cost of Language Line has been in each of the last five years, broken down by region.

Anne McGuire: The table provides details of departmental expenditure on Language Line for each agency in the last five years. The category entitled 'other' refers to usage by departmental cross-cutting services.
	Language Line costs cannot be provided on a regional basis as they are not collated in this way.
	
		
			  DWP Language Line expenditure 
			  £ 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  Total 
			 Agency Appeals Service — 449.50 547.80 429.65 3,612.90 5,039.85 
			 Child Support Agency 14,191.49 20,435.00 22,691.50 42,343.45 37,348.35 137,009.79 
			 Disability and Carers Service 6,221.71 5,602.65 6,466.06 7,529.50 13,077.30 38,897.22 
			 Debt Management — 17.00 — 276.30 299.50 592.80 
			 Jobcentre Plus 380,784.68 895,807.90 974,289.46 913,270.10 1,301,822.61 4,465,974.75 
			 The Pension Service 5,197.80 11,295.15 39,089.41 72,479.25 166,388.85 294,450.46 
			 Other 2,066.38 6,795.40 23,381.22 103,768.40 49,014.86 185,026.26 
			 Total 408,462.06 940,402.60 1,066,465.45 1,140,096.65 1,571,564.37 5,126,991.13

National Insurance Numbers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many immigrants were claiming benefits within six months of being allocated a national insurance number for each reporting period from April 1997 to April 2006; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The available information is published in "National Insurance Number Allocations to Overseas Nationals Entering the UK". A copy has been placed in the Library.

National Insurance Numbers

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) asylum seekers,  (b) failed asylum seekers and  (c) illegal immigrants have been issued with national insurance numbers in each of the last eight years.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available.

National Insurance Numbers

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the total value of welfare benefit claims made by individuals issued with a national insurance number who were referred to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate owing to  (a) suspicion about their eligibility to work in the UK,  (b) the use of false documents and  (c) other reasons in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of pensioners received means-tested benefits in each year from 1979-80 to 2005-06; what his estimate is for each in 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The information requested is not available. The information that is available is in the following table.
	
		
			  Estimated pensioner beneficiaries of income-related benefits as a percentage of the population of Great Britain 1990 to 2006 
			  Mid year  Beneficiaries aged 60 and over of income-related benefits  Beneficiaries as a percentage of the population aged 60 and over 
			 1990 5,200,000 45 
			 1991 4,660,000 40 
			 1992 4,500,000 39 
			 1993 4,320,000 37 
			 1994 4,150,000 36 
			 1995 4,030,000 34 
			 1996 3,910,000 33 
			 1997 3,780,000 32 
			 1998 3,640,000 31 
			 1999 3,510,000 30 
			 2000 3,410,000 29 
			 2001 3,380,000 28 
			 2002 3,290,000 27 
			 2003 3,280,000 27 
			 2004 3,740,000 30 
			 2005 3,950,000 32 
			 2006 4,100,000 32 
			  Notes: 1. Income-related benefits are pension credit (PC), minimum income guarantee/income support for the over 60s (MIG/IS), jobseeker's allowance (income based) (JSA(IB)), housing benefit (HB), community charge benefit/council tax benefit (CCB/CTB), family credit (FC) and disability working allowance (DWA). 2. Overlaps between benefits have been removed. 3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest ten thousand, due to the estimation procedure to produce the figures for housing benefit and/or council tax benefit. 4. Beneficiaries is the sum of claimants aged 60 or over and claimants' partners aged 60 or over. 5. Percentage for population has been calculated using the revised Office for National Statistics (ONS) mid-year population estimates for age group 60 and over, for 1990 to 2004, and Government Actuary's Department 2004-based mid-year population projections for 2005 to 2006. 6. Figures based on one per cent and five per cent samples are subject to sampling variation. These include all JSA figures, information concerning partners of PC and MIG/IS claimants, and all other figures prior to 2000 except DWA which is derived from 100 per cent. sample data. HB/CTB (all years) and IS (1990 to 1993) are derived from one per cent samples. All other figures were obtained from the WPLS. 7. CTB data excludes second adult rebate cases. 8. HB data excludes any extended payment cases. 9. Jobseeker's allowance replaced income support for the unemployed in October 1996. 10. Some JSA(IB) claimants may also have entitlement to benefit via the contributory route. 11. A consistent data series prior to 1990 cannot be provided due to a lack of HB/CTB data, and because overlapping cases cannot be identified. 12. Estimates for 1990 to 2004 are based on past benefit data. The estimate for 2005 is based on projections for HB and CTB, and past benefit data for other benefits. The estimate for 2006 is based on projections for all benefits. 13. The increase in beneficiaries from 2004 is due to the introduction of pension credit which is more generous than its predecessors. People aged 65 and over are rewarded for making provision for their retirement through the savings credit. In addition pension credit assumes £1 of income for every £500 of savings above £6,000. This is half the assumed rate of income in the MIG. Pension credit has also been the subject of considerable take-up activity by The Pension Service.  Source:  DWP one per cent. samples (IS.pre 1993,also HB and CCB/CTB), five per cent. samples, and Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS), and DWP projections.

Pensions

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the change in the proportion of pension contributions from  (a) employers and  (b) employees following the transfer of pension schemes from defined benefit to defined contribution schemes since 2002-03.

James Purnell: Information is not available in the format requested.
	Weighted average employer and employee contribution rates in private sector occupational pension schemes in 2000, 2004 and 2005 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Private sector occupational pension schemes( 1)  2000  2004  2005 
			  Employer contribution (percentage)
			 Defined Benefit schemes 9.9 14.5 16.0 
			 Defined Contribution schemes 4.3 6 6.3 
			 
			  Employee contribution (percentage)
			 Defined Benefit schemes 4.2 4.3 4.4 
			 Defined Contribution schemes 2.7 2.9 2.7 
			 (1) Pension schemes with 12 or more members.  Source:  Government Actuary's Department Occupational Pension Schemes Survey, 2000, 2004 and 2005

Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate  (a) the number of people affected by and  (b) the total savings to the Treasury from the abolition of adult dependency increases, as proposed in the White Paper, "Security in Retirement: towards a new pensions system" in (i) 2020, (ii) 2030, (iii) 2040 and (iv) 2050.

James Purnell: The information requested is set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Expenditure saved (£ billion)  Number of people affected 
			 2020 1.4 660,000 
			 2030 1.4 630,000 
			 2040 1.1 520,000 
			 2050 1.2 580,000 
			  Notes: 1. Expenditure is in 2006-07 price terms and all figures are for UK and overseas cases. 2. Estimates of expenditure changes are consistent with the policy detail set out in the White Paper. 3. Savings presented in the table are additional to long-term projections of United Kingdom benefit spend, consistent with the Budget Report 2006 but are subsumed in the overall costs of the proposals as set out in the White Paper. 4. Currently around 66,000 people (the vast majority of whom are men) receive an adult dependency increase of state pension. 5. The numbers in the table take account of the equalisation of State Pension age between 2010 and 2020 and are based on current rates of female labour market participation. 6. The numbers affected are rounded to the nearest 10,000.

Post Office Card Account

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what date the first public announcement was made that the Post Office card account was a temporary scheme.

James Plaskitt: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Argyll and Bute (Mr. Reid) on 13 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1849W.

Post Office Card Account

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact of the withdrawal of Post Office card accounts on the blind and partially sighted.

James Plaskitt: Post Office Ltd. made a number of improvements to its PIN pads to ensure its banking services were accessible to as many customers as possible, including those who are blind and partially sighted. Customers using a bank account at the Post Office follow exactly the same routine as those using a Post Office card account. They insert their plastic cards in the same PIN pads before entering their PIN. So any blind or partially sighted people who have used a card account should equally well be able to use a bank account at their post office branch.

Post Office Card Account

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his Answer of 3 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1606W, on Post Office card accounts, whether  (a) agents and  (b) outsourced workers of the Pensions Service are telephoning pensioners to persuade them to cease using their Post Office card accounts.

James Plaskitt: No, they are not.

Targeting Fraud Website

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many hits the Targeting Fraud website has received, broken down by month; how many cases of suspected fraud have been reported to the website; how many of these suspected cases have been investigated; how many  (a) cases of fraud have been established,  (b) changes to benefits have been made and  (c) successful prosecutions there have been as a result; and what sentences have been imposed by the courts when prosecutions have been successful;
	(2)  how many submissions have been made to the Targeting Fraud website in each month since January 2000; how many referrals for investigation were made as a result of submissions to the Targeting Fraud website; how many investigations were completed as a result of submissions to the website; and how many prosecutions have resulted from website submissions.

James Plaskitt: Information is not available broken down by month. Information on sentences arising from investigations as a direct result of the Targeting Fraud website is not available.
	The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Targeting Fraud website 
			   Hits received  Cases reported to website  Cases referred for investigation  Cases accepted for investigation  Cases completed  Cases with change of benefit  Cases successfully prosecuted 
			 May 2000 to March 2001 1,468,696 (1)— 938 319 184 28 — 
			 April 2001 to March 2002 222,421 8,453 2,734 1,067 673 152 4 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 123,681 8,309 3,150 1,201 1,126 290 24 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 547,769 23,386 9,315 3,523 2,010 481 24 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 622,692 33,891 15,237 5,862 4,100 1,277 36 
			 March 2005 to April 2006 (2)— 58,381 37,411 10,709 7,914 2,286 72 
			 (1) Not available. (2) Not yet available.  Note: Records commenced from May 2000, when the Targeting Fraud website became available.  Source: DWP Communications -Targeting Fraud, National Benefit Fraud Hotline (NBFH), Fraud Information by Sector (FIBS).

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the case of Abdul Rahman, convicted in Afghanistan of apostasy.

Kim Howells: Abdul Rahman was not convicted of apostasy.
	Owing to apparent procedural flaws in the case, the apostasy charges against Mr. Rahman were referred back to the Attorney-General's Office and he was released from custody on 26 March 2006.
	I refer the hon. Member to my public statement of 22 March 2006, available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/Show Page&c=Page&cid=1007029391629&a=KArticle&aid =1142704623955%20&year=2006&month=2006-03-01 &date=2006-03-22, and to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Clwyd, West (Mr. Jones) on 28 March 2006,  Official Report, column 914W.

Latin America

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of US democracy promotion in Latin America.

Geoff Hoon: We have not made a specific assessment of the impact of US democracy promotion in Latin America. We work with a number of partners in the EU and across the region to promote democracy and good governance in Latin America.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made towards the implementation of the 13 practical steps for nuclear disarmament adopted in 2000 at the non-proliferation treaty review conference.

Kim Howells: The UK is fulfilling all its obligations under the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT), including those on disarmament under Article VI of the treaty. We continue to support the relevant disarmament measures contained in the Final Document from the NPT Review Conference (RevCon) in 2000, including the 13 practical steps towards disarmament, and we have a good record on meeting the priorities they set out. Not all the 13 steps are relevant to the UK, such as those relating to bilateral measures between the US and Russia. However, we have made progress on the majority of the other steps. For example, in 2000 the UK initiated a research programme to study techniques and technologies that could be used to verify nuclear disarmament. Conclusions of this programme were presented to the 2005 NPT RevCon. We continue to call for the entry into force of the comprehensive test ban treaty as soon as possible and, pending its entry into force, maintain a moratorium on nuclear weapons test explosions and any other nuclear explosions. The UK is also pressing for the immediate commencement of negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty, without preconditions, at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

Terrorism Victims

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in  (a) providing financial support and  (b) improving information and logistical support for British citizens who are victims of terrorist attacks abroad; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has in place a package of immediate assistance measures to help victims of terrorism overseas and their families in the immediate aftermath of a terrorist incident overseas. This is available in the absence of an insurance policy, employer's scheme or any other form of assistance.
	Depending on the circumstances, the support we offer on top of our normal support may include medical evacuation for people who have been injured or evacuation for people in danger (this may not necessarily be to the UK, but to a safe place in the region); paying immediate medical expenses; transporting bodies or remains back home; paying the return luggage costs of those killed or injured; travel for two members of the victim's family to the site of the attack; and accommodation and travel insurance.
	In addition to this support, victims of major catastrophes overseas, or their families, need further help when they return to the UK. The Humanitarian Assistance Unit in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) works with the relevant agencies and services to help victims to get the aftercare they need.
	The Chancellor announced in the Budget a £1 million initial endowment to a charitable fund to help the British victims of terrorism. The fund will provide rapid relief to meet the immediate financial needs of those caught up in a terrorist attack, whether in the UK or overseas. The DCMS is working in consultation with the voluntary sector, partners in Government and victims' groups to finalise the details and will make a further announcement in due course.
	Information and logistical support has been improved by the deployment of Rapid Deployment Teams (RDTs) to the areas affected. These volunteers are trained consular officers who travel to the area to assist our embassy/high commission with the incident. Their tasks range from meeting family members to visits to morgues, assisting with medevacs etc. The RDTs also consist of personnel from International SOS and the British Red Cross.

Venezuela

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are for Ministers in her Department to visit Venezuela.

Geoff Hoon: Foreign engagements for my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and other Ministers are kept under constant review. It is not our practice to announce such visits until they are firm. Because of the unpredictable nature of world events, final decisions on overseas visits are often not possible until very shortly before the day of travel.

Venezuela

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken to promote British commercial interests in Venezuela.

Geoff Hoon: We actively support UK commercial interests in Venezuela through our embassy in Caracas, UK Trade and Investment and UK regional partners. UK exports to Venezuela have grown in recent years: £236 million in 2005 (26 per cent. up on 2004). The embassy and its partners work closely with the Venezuelan authorities, national and private companies, and chambers of commerce in Venezuela to identify and report commercial opportunities that could benefit UK enterprises. This year we will support five outward missions to Venezuela by UK small and medium-sized enterprises and two inward missions to the UK by Venezuelan companies seeking joint venture partnerships and alliances.

Weapons of Terror Report

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of recommendations  (a) 58,  (b) 26,  (c) 20,  (d) 19,  (e) 7 and  (f) 45 of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission report on weapons of terror; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The UK has not yet made a full assessment of the various recommendations contained in the report of the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Commission, "Weapons of Terror". However, we consider it to be a valuable contribution to the continuing discussion of proliferation in many fora around the world and will study it closely.
	The UK takes its disarmament obligations under Article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) very seriously and we have an excellent record in this area. We have reduced the explosive power of our nuclear forces by over 70 per cent. since the end of the cold war and currently have a stockpile of fewer than 200 operational warheads. We continue to support the relevant measures agreed at the 1995 and 2000 NPT Review Conferences and have a good record on meeting the priorities they set out. We also remain fully committed to the negative and positive security assurances we gave to non-nuclear weapon States Party to the NPT in 1995.
	The UK is fully committed to progress in multilateral disarmament fora, in particular in the Conference on Disarmament (CD). We continue to press for the immediate commencement of negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty, without pre-conditions, in the CD. However, we believe that the CD must continue to operate by consensus if we are to make progress on these serious matters.
	The Outer Space Treaty (1967), to which the UK is a Depository, places important constraints on the use of space, prohibiting the deployment of WMD in space and military activity on the moon and other celestial bodies. There is no international consensus on the need to start negotiations on a new international instrument governing the military use of space.

Zimbabwe

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the political situation in Zimbabwe.

Kim Howells: holding answer 20 June 2006
	The political situation in Zimbabwe is dire as is the economic collapse. Mugabe's regime continues to deny the people of Zimbabwe their basic rights and freedoms; intimidate and suppress opposition; silence independent media; force people from their homes; ignore international calls for reform; and deny any responsibility for the grave situation the country faces. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told the House on 19 April 2006,  Official Report, columns 122-23, what the regime in Zimbabwe is doing is a disgrace.
	We will continue to work for the restoration of good governance and the rule of law in Zimbabwe.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many women taking the abortion drug RU 486 suffered  (a) excessive bleeding,  (b) haemorrhaging when the foetus was expelled from the uterus,  (c) damage to the cervix and  (d) an infection in each of the last five years for which figures are available, broken down by (i) age of the woman, (ii) gestation of the pregnancy and (iii) region;
	(2)  how many women taking the abortion drug RU 486 required further treatment because the womb was not completely emptied of its contents or it failed to end the pregnancy in each of the last five years for which figures are available, broken down by  (a) age of the woman,  (b) gestation of the pregnancy and  (c) region.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is shown in the tables.
	Under the Abortion Act, any registered medical practitioner who terminates a pregnancy is required to supply the Chief Medical Officer with the information set out in the Abortion Regulations 1991. As such, information is not held centrally on how many women taking mifepristone (Mifegyne, RU486) required further treatment because the womb was not completely emptied of its contents or why the drug failed to end the pregnancy.
	
		
			  Total complications reported for abortions using mifepristone (Mifegyne, RU486) by gestation and age for residents, England, 2000-04 
			Gestation 
			Haemorrhage  Other complications( 1) 
			   Total complications  Under 13 weeks  13 weeks plus  Under 13 weeks  13 weeks plus 
			 2000 71 27 16 16 12 
			 2001 52 13 14 11 14 
			 2002 98 42 29 12 15 
			 2003 121 61 49 (2)— (2)— 
			 2004 93 58 25 (2)— (2)— 
		
	
	
		
			Age 
			Haemorrhage  Other complications( 1) 
			   Total complications  Under 25 years  25 years plus  Under 25 years  25 years plus 
			 2000 71 25 18 13 15 
			 2001 52 13 14 11 14 
			 2002 98 30 41 10 17 
			 2003 121 39 71 (2)— (2)— 
			 2004 93 35 48 (2)— (2)— 
			 (1) Includes uterine perforation and/or sepsis.  (2) For confidentiality reasons, totals less than 10 (0-9 cases) are suppressed. This is in line with the Office for National Statistics' guidance on the disclosure of abortion statistics, 2005.   Note:  Breakdown by region is not possible, for confidentiality reasons, due to small numbers.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 1161-62W, on abortion, what estimate she has made of the cost of answering the question; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Data on grounds, funding, gestation, and age are currently available but not in the format requested. We estimate it would take 33 hours, at a cost of £825, to extract the data and prepare the tables for publication, which is why we have previously stated that this information is only available at disproportionate cost.
	If these tables were to be produced, we believe, given the level of detail and areas of interest requested, much of it could not be made available owing to patient confidentiality (the number of cases is likely to be very small).

Abortion

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women seeking an abortion in England gave a Northern Ireland address in each of the last five years, broken down by postcode.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) on 19 April 2006,  Official Report, columns 730-31W. The information cannot be broken down by postcode owing to patient confidentiality.

Accident Costs (Recoupment)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much has been recovered for the NHS in respect of recoupment of treatment costs from  (a) accident victims and  (b) insurance companies in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  in what circumstances medical treatment costs can be recovered from  (a) insurers and  (b) accident victims, in respect of treatment under the NHS for injuries; what the maximum sums are that can be recovered in each case; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  if she will extend the  (a) range of cases and  (b) maximum sum that can be recouped in respect of recovery of costs of medical treatment for (i) accident victims and (ii) insurers; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: For more than 70 years hospitals have been able to recover the costs of providing treatment to the victims of road traffic accidents where the injured person successfully claims personal injury compensation from the person responsible for the accident. The arrangements for this were streamlined and centralised through the Road Traffic (NHS Charges) Act 1999 which established a formal recovery scheme, operated on behalf of the Secretary of State by the Compensation Recovery Unit, part of the Department for Work and Pensions. Where a compensation payment is made to a road traffic accident victim by an insurer, the insurer is also obliged under the terms of the scheme to make a payment towards the cost of any hospital treatment the injured person needed, in accordance with a simple tariff system covering in-patient or out-patient treatment as appropriate. The injured person is not required to make any payment towards their own treatment costs under the scheme.
	At present the maximum amount that can be recovered in respect of any injury is £37,100. The tariffs and the maximum amount are uprated each year in line with Hospital and Community Health Services inflation. The amounts recovered in the last three years are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2003-04 105,654,936 
			 2004-05 117,504,738 
			 2005-06 121,500,568 
		
	
	Part 3 of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 laid the legislative framework for a wider-ranging NHS Injury Costs Recovery (ICR) scheme to be established, subsuming the existing road traffic accident scheme and extending it to all cases in which personal injury compensation is paid to an injured person who has received national health service hospital treatment. Following a public consultation on draft regulations that will govern the operation of the ICR scheme, it was decided to widen the scope for the scheme to take into account contributory negligence where this has been a factor in the primary compensation claim. The necessary amendment to the 2003 Act is contained in the Health Bill. In order to allow adequate time for the Bill to complete its passage through Parliament and for the amending clause to be brought into effect from the outset of the ICR scheme, the scheme is now expected to be introduced from 29 January 2007. The intention is to transfer the tariffs and maximum amount from the existing road traffic scheme, together with the introduction of a new tariff covering the cost of ambulance journeys required to take the injured person to hospital. As now, these amounts will be uprated annually.

Acute Care Beds

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute care beds per 100,000 population have been provided in each financial year since 1997-98 in each strategic health authority area.

Andy Burnham: Data for the years 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05 are shown in the following table. Strategic health authorities (SHAs) were established in 2002 and, therefore, data prior to 2002-03 are not available on a SHA basis.
	
		
			  Average daily number of available acute beds per 100,000 head of population, SHAs in England, 2002-03 to 2004-05 
			   Beds per 100,000 people 
			  SHA name  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA 213.7 218.9 211.8 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA 125.6 129.1 135.9 
			 Essex SHA 149.2 152.5 151.3 
			 North West London SHA 215.1 215.1 218.7 
			 North Central London SHA 267.7 276.7 268.8 
			 North East London SHA 224.5 226.6 221.5 
			 South East London SHA 209.5 209.3 204.9 
			 South West London SHA 203.2 210.9 217.3 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA 274.2 275.3 273.0 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley SHA 240.8 245.6 238.5 
			 North and East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire SHA 197.1 195.6 195.1 
			 West Yorkshire SHA 230.6 228.8 221.3 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire SHA 232.1 230.3 221.5 
			 Greater Manchester SHA 277.6 282.0 278.8 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside SHA 269.6 271.2 276.1 
			 Thames Valley SHA 185.5 185.3 184.7 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight SHA 194.6 200.2 199.9 
			 Kent and Medway SHA 157.3 155.4 158.3 
			 Surrey and Sussex SHA 179.3 191.8 184.2 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA 243.1 244.1 244.5 
			 South West Peninsula SHA 258.4 261.0 256.9 
			 Dorset and Somerset SHA 215.3 223.2 218.2 
			 South Yorkshire SHA 307.5 297.5 302.4 
			 Trent SHA 196.3 193.7 190.9 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland SHA 198.5 194.8 189.7 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA 184.9 185.1 184.0 
			 Birmingham and The Black Country SHA 266.2 262.2 268.9 
			 West Midlands South SHA 214.0 204.7 205.2 
			 England total 219.0 220.2 218.6 
			  Source:  Department of Health form KH03 and the Office for National Statistics

Audiologists

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans there are to increase the number of audiologists.

Rosie Winterton: Work force planning is now the responsibility of local national health service employers and strategic health authorities. It is for them to determine how many audiological staff are required to meet local service needs.

Breast Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her Department's press release on HER2 testing dated 5 October 2005, whether it is her policy that all women diagnosed with breast cancer should be offered HER2 testing irrespective of the type of treatment being proposed in their case.

Rosie Winterton: The Department's policy is to ensure that testing arrangements are put in place so that patients who may benefit from herceptin are identified.
	Professor Mike Richards, the national cancer director, is working with cancer networks to achieve this. An update from Professor Richards is due shortly and a report on progress will be made available as soon as possible afterwards.

Childhood Obesity

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the incidence of  (a) overweight and  (b) obesity was amongst children in England aged under 16 years in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: The main source of data on the prevalence of obesity is the Health Survey for England. The table shows the most recent data on the estimated prevalence of overweight and obesity in children aged two to 15 between 1997 and 2004. Data for 2005-06 are not yet available.
	
		
			  Prevalence of overweight and obesity among children( 1) , by gender, 1997 to 2004: England 
			  Percentage 
			   Unweighted  Weighted( 2) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2003  2004 
			  Boys   
			 overweight 13.0 14.6 14.4 12.4 15.0 13.7 14.6 13.7 14.6 13.9 
			 obese 12.7 13.0 16.4 14.5 15.5 16.9 17.0 18.9 17.0 19.2 
			
			  Girls   
			 overweight 13.1 13.6 13.5 12.7 15.2 13.9 14.4 16.3 14.6 16.6 
			 obese 12.4 13.8 13.7 14.2 14.5 17.1 16.1 17.8 16.1 18.5 
			
			  Bases   
			 Boys 3,063 1,981 977 877 1,653 3,745 1,410 645 1,452 8,833 
			 Girls 3,069 1,872 950 841 1,699 3,636 1,444 579 1,393 8,228 
			 (1) Children aged two to 15 years.  (2 )From 2003 data are weighted for non response. Data weighted for child selection only are provided for consistency with previous years.   Source:  Health Survey for England 2004. Updating of trend tables to include 2004 data. The Information Centre

Departmental Publications

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which statistical publications produced by her Department are issued  (a) weekly,  (b) fortnightly,  (c) monthly,  (d) quarterly and  (e) annually; and what the planned date of publication is of each during (i) 2006 and (ii) the first half of 2007.

Andy Burnham: No departmental statistical publications are issued weekly or fortnightly. The following departmental statistical publication is issued monthly on its website:
	National health service in-patient and out-patient waiting times figures
	The following departmental statistical publications are issued quarterly on its website:
	NHS in-patient and out-patient waiting: events occurring during the quarter
	Waiting times for suspected cancer patients
	Accident and emergency (A and E) activity; total time spent in A and E from arrival to admission, discharge or transfer and waiting for emergency admission through A and E
	Cancelled operations
	The following departmental statistical publication is issued bi-annually on its website:
	Critical care beds: census day
	The following departmental statistical publications are issued annually on its website:
	Abortion statistics: England and Wales
	Imaging and radio diagnostics
	Bed availability and occupancy
	The following departmental statistical publication is regularly updated. The exact timing is dependent on publication of National Patient Survey results by the Healthcare Commission:
	Public Service Agreement Scores on Patient Experience
	Timing of annual and other statistical publications produced by the Department is pre-announced by way of a 12-month publication plan on its website which is available at: www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Statistics/CodeOfPractice/12MonthPlan/fs/en? CONTENT_ID=4016423&chk=eLDBG/.
	This plan also currently includes statistical publications produced by the Information Centre for health and social care.
	The Department process for pre-announcing statistical publications is carried out in accordance with the National Statistics protocol for release practices.

Dermatology

Bruce George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the use of the NHS Guidelines for the Appointment of General Practitioners with Special Interests in the Delivery of Clinical Services: Dermatology by primary care trusts when making such appointments; what steps she is taking to  (a) monitor the appointment of such general practitioners and  (b) ensure that such appointments are being made in line with the guidelines; and what plans she has to review the guidelines.

Rosie Winterton: In conjunction with the Royal College of General Practitioners, national guidelines have been developed across a number of specialties to assist primary care trusts (PCTs) to accredit general practitioners with special interests (GPwSIs). GPwSIs are PCT-led services, and it is for them to ensure they reflect national guidelines and meet local need.
	The Department is currently reviewing all existing guidelines in the context of the White Paper "Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services" published in January 2006, which identified the need to accelerate the development of facilities and services being provided closer to home. These updated guidelines will also include new advice on how commissioners should accredit services to meet national standards. These will be published later this year.

Foster Review

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she plans to publish  (a) the findings of the Foster Review and  (b) recommendations for the reform of healthcare regulation.

Andy Burnham: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 15 May 2006,  Official Report, column 694W.

General Practitioners

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are planned to increase the number of general practitioners recruited by the NHS over the next decade.

Rosie Winterton: It is the responsibility of primary care trusts (PCTs) to assess and make provision for the healthcare needs of their local communities. PCTs ensure the maintenance of adequate staffing levels, including the recruitment of general practitioners through local delivery plans.
	"Delivering the NHS Improvement Plan: the Workforce Contribution" highlights strategic work force issues, which PCTs and strategic health authorities are asked to ensure are considered in their local delivery plans. This includes maintaining adequate staffing levels as well as achieving greater productivity.

Health and Social Care Act

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she plans to extend the duty to consult under section 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 to cover social care and new providers; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The duty to consult is being considered in the review of patient and public involvement. The expert panel set up to conclude this review has now reported its recommendations to Ministers. There will be an announcement on the future of patient and public involvement shortly.

Health Care Regulation

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the new NHS Patient and Public Involvement Resource Centre at the University of Warwick is able to provide support in promoting patient and public engagement in respect of the future of professional healthcare regulation to  (a) non-executive directors of NHS bodies,  (b) participants in patient and public organisations,  (c) lay members of healthcare regulatory bodies and  (d) members of local authority scrutiny committees.

Rosie Winterton: The patient and public involvement (PPI) resource centre will be delivered by the consortium of University of Warwick, Centre for Public Scrutiny and LMCA—Alliance for Health. The consortium will design, develop and deliver a new centre to support the delivery of PPI in health care delivery system. Part of its remit is to promote the value of PPI.

Health Care Regulation

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the remit of the new NHS Patient and Public Involvement Resource Centre at the University of Warwick extends to  (a) working with and  (b) spreading best practice to (i) similar organisations in the UK and (ii) healthcare regulatory bodies.

Rosie Winterton: The centre will also work with and spread best practice across all aspects of health and social care delivery. Currently, guidance in patient and public involvement (PPI) is provided and held by a variety of sources. A resource centre is needed to capture knowledge and learning from PPI activity systematically and create a process to enable the sharing of effective PPI practice (from the United Kingdom and overseas) and provide guidance to increase effectiveness in PPI. There is demand for personal and web-based information, signposting systems and networks—a virtual place for people to come together and exchange learning and experiences and a place for those new to PPI to get the best information to get started.

Influenza

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2006,  Official Report, column 229W, on influenza, what steps she has taken to ensure that expanded production capacity for pandemic influenza vaccine is located in the UK.

Rosie Winterton: Last year, the Department invited manufacturers to tender for a contract to supply pandemic flu vaccine once the pandemic strain is known. The tendering process for these contracts is ongoing and we cannot comment on the location until this is completed.

Management Consultants

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to her Department was of employing management consultants  (a) in the NHS and  (b) for each (i) primary care trust, (ii) mental health trust and (iii) strategic health authority in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not collect information from the national health service that would allow for an analysis of the cost of management consultants engaged by primary care trusts, mental health trusts, or strategic health authorities.

Mental Health

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for introducing payment by results funding for mental health provision; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The introduction of a payment by results funding system for the provision of mental health services depends on the results of an ongoing project to determine currencies that could be used to describe and cost mental health activity. If the project is successful in producing meaningful currencies this summer, these will be piloted and evaluated.

Mental Health

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the findings of the Royal College of Psychiatrists that Irish-born people living in London have the highest rates of death and depression of any migrant group; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has not made a direct assessment of the Royal College of Psychiatrists' findings. However, the Department published guidance entitled "Celebrating our Cultures: Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion with Black and Minority Ethnic Communities" in December 2004 which includes a specific chapter on promoting the mental health of people from the Irish community.
	The National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England (2002) recognised the risk of suicide in black and minority ethnic groups and consequently a black and minority ethnic suicide research project has been commissioned to provide comprehensive information on the risk factors for suicide and suicide attempts in different ethnic groups, including the Irish community. This information will be published in due course.
	"Delivering Race Equality in Mental Health Care"(2005), a five-year action plan for improving black and minority ethnic communities' access to, and experience of, mental health care includes Irish communities, and the Federation of Irish Societies is represented on the "Delivering Race Equality" national steering group.

National Recruitment and Retention Premium

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons NHS employers are not paying the national recruitment and retention premium to the building craft grade; when the review of that non-payment is planned to take place; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: There is no nationally agreed recruitment and retention premium for building craft workers working in the national health service. It is for employers to decide whether or not there is evidence to justify payment of local recruitment and retention premiums.
	NHS employers in partnership with national trades unions have recently agreed to review the national recruitment and retention premiums set out in the agenda for change agreement.

NHS Direct

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total expenditure on NHS Direct  (a) is in 2006-07 and  (b) was in each of the last three years.

Rosie Winterton: Expenditure by NHS Direct is only available for 2003-04 and 2004-05. For 2005-06 and future years, information is not yet available.
	In 2003-04 the expenditure by NHS Direct was £121,988,000 and in 2004-05 £148,362,000. These figures are from the audited statutory accounts and are publicly available on the NHS Direct website at www.nhs direct.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=1242.

NHS Direct

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it a condition of NHS Direct becoming a foundation trust that it does not outsource to overseas call centres.

Rosie Winterton: We are in the early stages of considering how the foundation trust model and application process could apply to NHS Direct. There are no plans to transfer NHS Directs call services abroad.

NHS Drug Budget

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the NHS drug budget has been in each year since 1997.

Andy Burnham: Primary care and national health service trust drugs budgets are not determined centrally. Trusts are responsible for setting their own budgets. Decisions on the level of funding will depend on local priorities.
	The following table gives the total drugs bill since 1997.
	
		
			   Outturn (£ million) 
			 1997-98 5,173 
			 1998-99 5,550 
			 1999-2000 6,202 
			 2000-01 6,688 
			 2001-02 7,447 
			 2002-03 8,355 
			 2003-04 9,271 
			 2004-05 9,965 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are net which include pharmaceutical price regulation scheme receipt savings.  2. The total drugs spend include drugs expenditure in primary care and the hospital and community health service (HCHS). The primary care expenditure reflects amounts paid to pharmacy and appliance contractors and amounts authorised for dispending doctors and personal administration in England. HCHS expenditure includes drugs and medical gases.  3. From 2000-01, figures are in resource terms, prior to this figures are in cash terms. Cash figures relate to February to January prescribing due to delay in prescription processing and payment calculations. Resource figures represent the actual cost between April to March.   Source:  Prescription Pricing Division, England and Department of Health Finance Division.

NHS Facilities

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what NHS facilities have been closed in 2006-07 to date, broken down by  (a) primary care trust and  (b) reason for closure; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The Department does not routinely collect and hold operational management information on closures of national health service facilities.
	Local authority overview and scrutiny committees have the power to review and scrutinise health services from the perspective of their local populations. NHS bodies which have proposals under consideration to substantially vary or substantially develop NHS services in the area of a particular local authority have a duty to consult that local authority's committee. The committees have the power to refer any proposal to the Secretary of State if they believe that they have not been consulted when they should have been consulted or if they believe the plans are not in the interests of the health service.

NHS Finance

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health about which NHS trusts and organisations she has received warnings under section 19 or section 8 of the Audit Commission Act 1998; and on which organisations auditors are considering posting Public Interest Reports.

Andy Burnham: Auditors appointed by the Audit Commission to audit the accounts of national health service bodies have the discretionary power under section 8 of the Audit Commission Act 1998 to issue a report in the public interest.
	Section 8 of the Act requires auditors in auditing the accounts to consider whether, in the public interest, they should report on any matter coming to their notice in the course of the audit, in order for it to be considered by the body concerned or brought to the attention of the public. The auditor can issue an immediate report if the public interest requires it, or can issue a report at the conclusion of the audit.
	Since 1 April 2005, auditors have issued section 8 reports to the following NHS organisations:
	Cambridge City Primary Care Trust (PCT) and South Cambridgeshire PCT
	Central Suffolk PCT, Ipswich PCT and Suffolk Coastal PCT
	Cheshire West PCT
	George Eliot Hospital PCT
	Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic Health Authority (SHA)
	Hillingdon PCT
	Hounslow PCT
	Kennet and North Wiltshire PCT
	Kensington and Chelsea PCT
	Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
	New Forest Primary Care Trust
	North Somerset PCT
	North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust
	Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust
	Royal West Sussex NHS Trust
	Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust
	Scarborough and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust
	Selby and York PCT
	Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust
	South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust
	Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust
	Suffolk West PCT
	Surrey and Sussex SHA
	Thames Valley SHA
	Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust
	University Hospital North Staffordshire NHS Trust
	West Hertfordshire Quadrant—West Hertfordshire NHS Trust, St. Albans and Hertsmere PCT, Hertsmere PCT, Watford and Three Rivers PCT and Dacorum PCT
	West Wiltshire PCT
	Weston Area Health NHS Trust
	 Note:
	The section 8 reports issued to these NHS organisations also constituted a referral to Secretary of State under section 19 of the Act.
	There will be other cases where the auditors are considering when/whether to issue reports. Comprehensive information on these is not held centrally.
	Section 19 of the Audit Commission Act 1998 requires an appointed auditor to refer matters to the Secretary of State if he/she has reason to believe that an NHS organisation has made a decision which involves, or may involve, unlawful expenditure (known as referrals to the Secretary of State). These reports are not published.
	Since 1 April 2005, auditors have made referrals, under section 19, in respect of the following NHS organisations.
	The section 19 referrals issued to these NHS organisations were in respect of spending above the PCTs allocated limit and did not have a full report to the Secretary of State.
	Ashford and St. Peters NHS Trust
	Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
	Bedfordshire Heartlands PCT
	Bexley Care Trust PCT
	Billericay, Brentwood and Wickford PCT
	Blackwater Valley and Hart PCT
	Broadland PCT
	Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth PCT
	Cambridge City PCT
	Cannock Chase PCT
	Canterbury and Coastal PCT
	Central Cornwall PCT
	Central Suffolk PCT
	Charnwood and North West Leicestershire PCT
	Chelmsford PCT
	Cherwell Vale PCT
	Cheshire West PCT
	Chiltern and South Bucks PCT
	Colchester PCT
	Cotswold and Vale PCT
	Dacorum PCT
	Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley PCT
	East Elmbridge and Mid Surrey PCT
	East Hampshire PCT
	East Lincolnshire PCT
	East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
	Eastbourne Downs POT
	Eastleigh and Test Valley PCT
	Fareham and Gosport PCT
	Guildford and Waverley PCT
	Harrow PCT
	Havering PCT
	Hertsmere PCT
	Hillingdon PCT
	Hounslow PCT
	Huntingdonshire PCT
	Ipswich PCT
	Isle of Wight PCT
	Kennet and North Wiltshire PCT
	Kensington and Chelsea PCT
	Kingston PCT
	Leicester City West PCT
	Luton PCT
	Maidstone Weald PCT
	Maldon and South Chelmsford PCT
	Medway PCT
	Mid Hampshire PCT
	Milton Keynes PCT
	New Forest PCT
	Newbury and Community PCT
	Newcastle under Lyme PCT
	Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA
	North and East Cornwall PCT
	North Birmingham PCT
	North Bristol NHS Trust
	North Devon PCT
	North East Oxfordshire PCT
	North Hampshire PCT
	North Hertfordshire and Stevenage PCT
	North Norfolk PCT
	North Somerset PCT
	North Stoke PCT
	Norwich PCT
	Oldbury and Smethwick PCT
	Royal United Bath Hospital NHS Trust
	Royal West Sussex NHS Trust
	Selby and York PCT
	South and East Dorset PCT
	South Cambridgeshire PCT
	South East Hertfordshire PCT
	South Leicestershire PCT
	South Stoke PCT
	South West Oxfordshire PCT
	South Western Staffordshire PCT
	South Wiltshire PCT
	Southampton City PCT
	Southern Norfolk PCT
	St. Albans and Harpenden PCT
	Staffordshire Moorlands PCT
	Suffolk Coastal PCT
	Suffolk West PCT
	Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
	Sussex Downs and Weald PCT
	Swale PCT
	Thurrock PCT
	United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust
	Vale of Aylesbury PCT
	Waltham Forest PCT
	Wandsworth PCT
	Watford and 3 Rivers PCT
	Waveney PCT
	Welwyn Hatfield PCT
	West Gloucestershire PCT
	West Norfolk PCT
	West of Cornwall PCT
	West Wiltshire PCT
	Weston Area Health NHS Trust
	Witham, Braintree and Halstead PCT
	Worcester Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
	Wycombe PCT
	Wyre Forest PCT
	Yorkshire Wolds and Coast PCT

NHS IT Programme

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2006,  Official Report, column 944W, on the NHS IT programme, if she will list the organisations and individuals who responded to the consultation; and what meetings the NHS Information Authority carried out as part of its research.

Caroline Flint: A list of names of all the organisations and individuals that responded at one or other stage of the consultation process on the national specification for integrated care records service is not held centrally. Some of the responses were provided by organisations which are no longer active.
	The original "National Specification for Integrated Care Records Service (Consultation Draft)" was issued in July 2002 by the NHS Information Authority. Some 190 responses to the document were received from suppliers, clinicians, chief information officers (CIOs), information technology (IT) departments of national health service bodies and others, commenting on such aspects as architecture, functional omissions and the realisation of benefits that such a system would produce. These comments were included and formed the base document for the early draft of the output based specification (OBS). This draft was then refined. The clinical input was provided by almost three hundred individuals, and the IT community (IT managers and CIOs) numbered a further one hundred. A broad spectrum of NHS stakeholders was then engaged to review the draft OBS. The review group encompassed leading clinicians, practitioners, policy advisors, health informaticians and managers and included representatives from the Department, the NHS Information Authority, strategic health authorities, NHS trusts, primary care trusts, general practitioners, academic groups and other Government Departments.
	It is known that many of these people also sought input from colleagues and we estimate that this cascade has resulted in many thousands of individuals having had a material input to the content and quality of the product.
	A final list of 239 people was invited to review the OBS, from which a total of 105 formal review documents were received. From the 900 pages reviewed there were 1,175 comments of substance. These comments resulted in a further refined version of the OBS which was then distributed for any final comment. A response to every individual comment was returned to the reviewer in question.
	Reflecting a level of transparency unprecedented for major projects within Government, the OBS was published to the public domain in July 2003 and is available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov .uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/.
	In addition to many hundreds of internal meetings, there were 44 meetings held by the clinicians from the national programme with important stakeholders and stakeholder groups. These included several chairs of the Royal Colleges, and presentations to many hundreds of clinicians at various locations around the country.
	Data on those consulted on ways of managing the confidentiality of patient health information have been placed in the Library.
	23 meetings were carried out as part of the research phase in addition to eight focus groups and 56 face-to-face interviews, involving patients, researchers, suppliers, senior care service managers, and NHS information governance professionals.

NHS IT Support

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms have been put in place to manage the performance of strategic health authorities under option 2 of the procurement strategy outlined in paragraph 3.6.1 of her Department's publication "Delivering 21st century IT support for the NHS".

Caroline Flint: Strategic health authorities (SHAs) are responsible for co-ordinating local information technology investment and modernisation activities to deliver benefits from all of the national programme products and services to patients and staff and across the national health service. As part of the Department's regular performance management arrangements for the NHS, SHA chief executives are held to account for delivery priorities for the NHS. Progress in national programme implementation has been the focus of a particular and stringent performance management process instigated by the former senior responsible officer for the programme.
	These arrangements are complemented by a parallel process within individual SHAs, and by normal operational contacts with local NHS bodies to support and incentivise the deployment of national programme systems and services.

NHS Pension Scheme

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of members of the NHS pension scheme joined the scheme  (a) before the age of (i) 20 years, (ii) 25 years, (iii) 30 years, (iv) 35 years, (v) 40 years and (vi) 45 years and  (b) when they were over 45 years old.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the proportion of joiners to the NHS Pension Scheme in the age bands requested from the year 2000 to date is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Age on joining NHS pension scheme  Percentage  Number 
			  Before age:   
			 20 5.68 46,185 
			 25 19.8 160,993 
			 30 17.03 138,451 
			 35 14.55 118,300 
			 40 13.16 106,945 
			 45 11.43 92,907 
			  Over age:   
			 45 18.34 149,118 
			 Total — 812,899 
			  Source:  Pensions Division of the NHS Business Services Authority

NHS Performance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her statement of 7 June 2006,  Official Report, column 257, on NHS performance, why surpluses generated by primary care trusts and NHS trusts are transferred to strategic health authorities; what assessment she has made of the impact of such transfers on the transparency of financial accounting in the NHS; which  (a) primary care trusts and  (b) NHS trusts have transferred surpluses to strategic health authorities in the 2005-06 financial year; how much was transferred in each case; under what authority strategic health authorities are permitted to retain surpluses generated by constituent trusts; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Surpluses generated by primary care trusts (PCTs) are transferred and held by strategic health authorities (SHAs) to allow the SHA to balance the financial position across all the organisations they performance manage. This helps increase the transparency of financial accounting and reporting in the national health service, as it means SHAs can ensure that these surpluses are not used to mask overspends of poorly performing organisations.
	The Department did not require the SHAs separately to identify transfers of surpluses between PCTs and SHAs in their inter-authority transfer requests. However, for the current financial year the Department intends that transfers between PCTs and SHAs will be formally recorded in a note to their individual accounts.
	The Secretary of State has the power to make adjustments to the resource limits of PCTs and SHAs under section 97 of the National Health Service Act 1977 as amended.

NHS Staff

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) doctors,  (b) nurses and  (c) dentists were employed in the NHS (i) in full-time equivalent terms and (ii) in headcount terms in (A) 1979, (B) 1997 and (C) the most recent period for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The figures requested are shown in the table.
	
		
			  All NHS doctors, dentists and non-medical staff:  England 
			  Numbers (headcount) and full-time equivalents 
			  Year  All NHS doctors (including HCHS Dentists)( 1)  All NHS dentists( 2, 3, 4, 5)  Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff( 6, 7, 8) 
			   Number  Fte  Number  Fte  Number  Fte 
			 1979 65,442 n/a 12,425 n/a 192,052 161,359 
			 1997 89,619 84,758 16,670 n/a 318,856 256,093 
			 2005 122,345 114,251 20,890 n/a 404,161 321,537 
			 n/a = not available  (1 )Excludes medical hospital; practitioners and medical clinical assistants, most of whom are also GPs that work part time in hospitals.  (2 )Data on dentists on a full-time equivalent basis are not available.  (3 )Dentists consist of principals, assistants and trainees. Prison contracts have been excluded.  (4 )A dentist with a GDS or PDS contract may provide as little or as much NHS treatment as he or she chooses or has agreed with the primary care trust. Information concerning the amount of time dedicated to NHS work by individual dentists are not centrally available.  (5 )Data on dentists that work only in private practice are not held centrally.  (6 )Figures for 1979 are hospital staff only and are therefore not directly comparable with later years.  (7 )Figures for 1979 are taken from 1982 HPSSS publication.  (8 )Includes GP practice nurses.   Source:  The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census. The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics. The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census. NHS Business Services Authority.

NHS Trust Finances

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each NHS trust, including foundation trusts, owed to other NHS bodies in the final period of the financial year 2005-06 broken down by NHS body; and how much was owed by each strategic health authority to each NHS trust.

Andy Burnham: The audited information for national health service trusts, primary care trusts and strategic health authorities will be available in the autumn following validation by the Department.
	The information requested from NHS foundation trusts is not held centrally and may be obtained by contracting the chairman of each organisation.

Obesity

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of  (a) males and  (b) females are considered (i) obese and (ii) overweight.

Caroline Flint: The main source of data on the prevalence of obesity and overweight among children and adults is the Health Survey for England (HSE). Tables 1 and 2 show the most recent data on the prevalence of obesity and overweight in children and adults in 2004.
	Table 1 presents prevalence among adults aged 16 and over.
	
		
			  Table 1: Prevalence of obesity and overweight among adults( 1) , by gender, 2004( 2) 
			  England  Percentage/number 
			  Men  
			 Overweight 44 
			 Obese 23 
			   
			  Women  
			 Overweight 34 
			 Obese 23 
			   
			  Bases  
			 Men 39,244 
			 Women 39,803 
			 (1) Adults aged 16 and over  (2) Data are weighted for non-response   Source:  Health Survey for England 2004. The Information Centre 
		
	
	Table 2 presents prevalence among children aged 2-15 years.
	
		
			  Table 2: Prevalence of obesity and overweight among children( 1) , by gender, 2004( 2) 
			  England  Percentage/number 
			  Boys  
			 Overweight 13.9 
			 Obese 19.2 
			   
			  Girls  
			 Overweight 16.6 
			 Obese 18.5 
			   
			  Bases  
			 Boys 8,833 
			 Girls 8,228 
			 (1) Children aged 2 to 15  (2) Data are weighted for non-response   Source: Health Survey for England 2004. Updating of trend tables to include 2004 data. The Information Centre

Overseas Doctors

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will allow an extended time scale for the introduction of the new rules with regard to overseas doctors working in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Transitional arrangements have been put in place. Those doctors who were offered a relevant training programme before the changes were announced will be given the opportunity to complete it.
	International medical graduates will still be able to work and train in the United Kingdom. They will now need to meet the requirements of an employment category, such as the work permit requirements, in line with the immigration rules for other professions.

Palliative Care

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been allocated to palliative care in  (a) England and  (b) Yorkshire and Kirklees in each of the past 10 years.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not routinely collect data requested on national health service funding of palliative care.
	Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible within the NHS for commissioning and funding services for their resident population, including palliative care. The NHS is currently receiving the largest sustained increase in funding in its history, growth money not identified for specific purposes. PCTs will be able to use these extra resources to deliver on both national and local priorities including palliative care.

Palliative Care

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to support the provision of palliative care services.

Rosie Winterton: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible within the national health service for commissioning and funding services for their resident population, including palliative care.
	We have set out in "Our health, our care, our say" a programme of action that will deliver increased choice to all patients at the end of life about where they are cared for and die. We will be working with key stakeholders in taking this forward.

Peripatetic Nurses

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps her Department is taking to provide peripatetic nurses skilled in the care of terminally-ill patients to work in local communities;
	(2)  which primary care trusts provide peripatetic nurses to work in the local community.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally. It is for local managers to determine skill mix within the nursing work force. The Government have supported the development of a range of specialist roles within nursing, and trusts must deploy them as they think fit.

Physiotherapists

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many physiotherapists were employed within the NHS in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2000.

Rosie Winterton: The numbers of qualified physiotherapists employed in the national health service in England in 2000 and 2005 at 30 September in each year were 15,608 and 19,997 respectively.

Radon Gas

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research the Government have commissioned into the effects of radon gas.

Caroline Flint: The Government have contributed to research into the link between indoor radon and lung cancer in south-west England and also to animal studies of the risks of radon.
	Following the announcement/publication of the results of the large European-wide study of radon and lung cancer risks the National Radiological Protection Board (now the radiation protection division of the Health Protection Agency), the Government's adviser on health related radiation protection matters, asked its independent advisory group on ionising radiation to include this information, together with the findings from other relevant research, in the current review of the risks of radon exposure. The report of this review is expected to be published in about six months.

Respiratory Health

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many  (a) nurses and  (b) doctors specialising in respiratory problems there are in each (i) health authority and (ii) primary care trust in England;
	(2)  what steps her Department is taking to ensure that there are adequate respiratory nurses and doctors available for people with asthma; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Information on doctors specialising in respiratory problems by strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trust (PCT) is shown in the table. Information on the number of specialist respiratory nurses is not held centrally.
	
		
			  Hospital and community health services: medical and dental staff working with respiratory medicine showing consultants by SHA showing PCTs. England as at 30 September 2005. 
			  Numbers (headcount) 
			 of which: 
			All staff  Consultant 
			 England  1,358 608 
			  of which:
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Q20 44 22 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Q02 19 9 
			 Birmingham and The Black Country Q27 95 44 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside Q15 92 41 
			  of which:
			 Southport and Formby PCT 5F9 1 1 
			 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley Q10 20 10 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire Q13 26 10 
			 Dorset and Somerset Q22 25 10 
			 Essex Q03 34 16 
			 Greater Manchester Q14 88 36 
			  of which:
			 Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT 5HG 1 1 
			 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Q17 44 23 
			 Kent and Medway Q18 28 14 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland Q25 38 20 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Q01 76 37 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Q11 42 16 
			 North Central London Q05 88 33 
			 North East London Q06 39 15 
			  of which:
			 Redbridge PCT 5NA 1 1 
			 
			 North West London Q04 126 50 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Q09 53 24 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire Q26 26 16 
			 South East London Q07 37 20 
			 South West London Q08 18 12 
			 South West Peninsula Q21 29 13 
			 South Yorkshire Q23 48 21 
			 Surrey and Sussex Q19 31 18 
			  of which:
			 East Surrey PCT 5KQ 1 0 
			 
			 Thames Valley Q16 43 21 
			 Trent Q24 37 19 
			 West Midlands South Q28 44 15 
			 West Yorkshire Q12 68 23 
			  Source:  The Information Centre for health and social care medical and dental workforce census

Respite Care (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to improve the provision of respite care in Peterborough constituency; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: This Government introduced the carers grant in 1999 to support councils in providing breaks and other services for carers in England. The grant is worth £185 million in 2006-07 and will be worth £185 million in 2007-08. Councils can use their share of this money to support carers in a range of ways including the provision of short breaks or respite care.
	Peterborough's share of the carers grant is £591,333.

Strategic Health Authorities (Information Officers)

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the chief information officer (CIO) in each strategic health authority since 2002; and what the IT experience was of each CIO.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally and can be obtained directly from the relevant strategic health authorities.

Study Leave (Doctors)

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether study leave budgets for doctors in training cover management and leadership development programmes.

Rosie Winterton: The use of study leave budget allocations is down to local discretion. There is no prescriptive guidance as to the content for which study leave budget allocations should be used. Its main function is to supplement the educational opportunities that are available through training programmes.

Tourists (Health Care)

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision her Department makes for tourist visitors in estimating likely numbers of patients served by NHS  (a) hospital trusts and  (b) strategic health authorities; and what advice her Department provides to strategic health authorities on allocating funding to hospitals with small local resident populations and high tourist visitor numbers.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 19 June 2006
	The Department makes allocations to primary care trusts (PCTs) based on the needs of their relevant populations. PCTs agree service level agreements with national health service providers to ensure the necessary healthcare is available for their populations. If activity is carried out by a NHS provider outside these agreements, for example when an individual is on holiday, then the NHS provider is expected to invoice the individual's PCT for the cost of that activity. No allocations are made to cover the cost of this activity as the cost is already funded from within PCTs' allocations.
	For non-United Kingdom (UK) tourist visitors, entitlement to free NHS hospital treatment is based on whether they are ordinarily resident in this country. NHS providers are required to establish whether a patient is ordinarily resident, or exempt from charges. For charge-exempt non-UK tourist visitors, NHS providers invoice their local PCTs, which are subsequently reimbursed for this activity.

Waiting Times

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) average and  (b) longest waiting time for an (i) initial urology out-patient assessment, (ii) IVU investigation and (iii) in-patient surgery in the urology specialty has been over the last three years.

Andy Burnham: Data on the longest and average time waited for a first out-patient consultant-led appointment following GP referral for urology is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Quarter (March)  21+ weeks  Median (weeks) 
			 2004 11 7.1 
			 2005 5 7.1 
			 2006 6 6.2 
			  Source:  Department of Health form QM08R (Commissioner-based). 
		
	
	Data on the longest and average wait for an in-patient admission for urology are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Quarter (March)  12+ months  Median (weeks) 
			 2004 1 9.1 
			 2005 1 7.3 
			 2006 3 6.2 
			  Source:  Department of Health form QF01 (Commissioner-based). 
		
	
	Waiting times for intravenous urography investigation are not collected separately.

Waiting Times

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of people experienced waits of longer than  (a) two and  (b) four hours in accident and emergency departments in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			   Attendances  Percentage > two hours  Percentage > four hours 
			 2002-03 8,909,024 — 20.8 
			 2003-04 16,516,845 — 9.0 
			 2004-05 17,837,180 33.8 3.8 
			 2005-06 18,759,164 34.0 1.8 
			  Source:  QMAE dataset, Department of Health 
		
	
	An operating standard of 98 per cent. has been introduced to allow for the minority of patients who clinically require more than four hours in accident and emergency (A and E).
	The Department collects data on total time spent in A and E departments from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. The first full set of data was published in quarter two (July to September) 2002-03 and was for major (type one) departments only. All types of A and E department were included in the collection from April 2003.
	Data broken down into hourly time-bands were first collected in quarter one (January to March) 2004-05. Patients waiting more than two hours include patients in the time-bands two to three hours, three to four hours and more than four hours.

Waiting Times

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) mean and  (b) median waiting time for an in-patient procedure for the 50 most common specialties have been in each year since 1997.

Andy Burnham: Data on the mean and median waiting times for in-patient admission since 1997 for each specialty has been placed in the Library.

West Hertfordshire NHS Trust

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she has received a capital investment plan from West Hertfordshire NHS trust since 26 January; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The "Investing in Your Health" strategic outline case (SOC) for a reconfiguration of acute services in Hertfordshire was received by the Department in 2004. This covered developments to be taken forward by both East and North Hertfordshire national health service trust and the West Hertfordshire NHS trust. For West Hertfordshire NHS trust the options included scaling back services onto the Hemel Hempstead site and consolidating services on the redeveloped site at Watford.
	Following external advice procured by the trusts and their strategic health authorities (SHAs), the projects are now being taken forward separately with both trusts aiming to submit the next stage of their plans, their outline business cases (OBCs), to the Department later this year or early next.
	All major private finance initiative (PFI) schemes in procurement are subject to a revalidation exercise we announced in January 2006. Revalidation will involve comparing the schemes against a number of tests, to ensure that they properly take account of the new financial mechanisms operating in the NHS (such as choice and payment by results), and are properly taking account of activity of the shift away from the acute sector envisaged in the recent White Paper "Our health, our care, our say". The trust's OBC will need to take into account the findings of this work.
	The announcement of decisions following the PFI revalidation will be in two waves. It is anticipated that the announcement for schemes which are most advanced, generally those that have already appointed their preferred bidder, will be in late July. Decisions on the remainder, including East and North Hertfordshire and West Hertfordshire, will be announced later.

Work Permits

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether job advertisements which mention the need for work permits will be required to be cleared with the Race Relations Commission.

Rosie Winterton: There are no such requirements to clear job advertisements. We would expect recruiters to follow best practice when drafting advertisements for posts.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Freedom of Information

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether any private body providing services under contract to a public authority has been designated as a public authority by an order under section 5 of the Freedom of Information Act.

Vera Baird: No bodies have been designated as public authorities by order under section 5 of the Freedom of Information Act.

Voting Irregularities

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many police investigations of alleged voting irregularities in local government elections have exceeded 18 months in duration without charges being laid in the last five years; which local authorities are involved in such investigations; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Government do not hold information centrally on where allegations of voting irregularities are being investigated by the police, or how long those investigations take.

NORTHERN IRELAND

The Environment and Heritage Service

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints were lodged in 2005 relating to the ways in which Environment and Heritage Service officials carried out their maintenance of areas of special scientific interest.

David Cairns: EHS did receive correspondence and representation from a number of sources regarding designation, consenting and protection issues in 2005 although none specifically focused on the practices employed by officials when working towards the maintenance of ASSIs.

Cancer

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people  (a) were diagnosed with and  (b) died from (i) prostate cancer, (ii) breast cancer, (iii) bowel cancer, (iv) lung cancer, (v) ovarian cancer and (vi) all other cancers in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Goggins: Table 1 and 2 detail information on the incidence and deaths due to various cancers in Northern Ireland for the last 10 years for which data were available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Cancer incidence in Northern Ireland 1994-2003 
			   1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003 
			  Prostate (C61)   
			 Male 481 510 452 485 492 493 574 543 648 715 
			
			  Breast   
			 Male 6 10 8 2 6 8 6 9 8 7 
			 Female 824 873 838 856 913 944 963 918 944 1,024 
			 Total 830 883 846 858 919 952 969 927 952 1,031 
			
			  Bowel (C18-C21)   
			 Male 483 487 502 454 489 448 459 525 469 556 
			 Female 433 496 466 456 442 459 421 425 454 439 
			 Total 916 983 968 910 931 907 880 950 923 995 
			
			  Trachea, Bronchus and Lung (C33,C34)   
			 Male 624 547 551 551 569 520 520 569 505 508 
			 Female 311 331 308 324 337 360 344 316 364 337 
			 Total 935 878 859 875 906 880 864 885 869 845 
			
			  Ovary (C56)   
			 Female 155 156 150 184 195 183 166 175 187 205 
			
			  All other cancers   
			 Male 2,559 2,520 2,710 2,659 2,674 2,729 2,726 2,714 2,931 2,818 
			 Female 2,412 2,338 2,648 2,540 2,512 2,469 2,563 2,473 2,604 2,610 
			 Total 4,971 4,858 5,358 5,5199 5,186 5,198 5,289 5,187 5,535 5,428 
			
			  All other cancers( 1)   
			 Male 1,502 1,495 1,634 1,537 1,566 1,540 1,561 1,588 1,643 1,527 
			 Female 1,376 1,309 1,490 1,466 1,446 1,397 1,515 1,442 1,515 1,487 
			 Total 2.878 2,804 3,124 3,003 3,012 2,937 3,076 3,030 3,158 3,014 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Cancer deaths in Northern Ireland 1994-2004 
			   1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			  Prostate (C61)
			 Male 211 219 206 208 222 205 214 214 192 219 234 
			 
			  Breast (C50)
			 Male 0 2 0 2 2 0 0 2 1 4 0 
			 Female 338 327 305 259 299 298 286 315 278 282 317 
			 Total 338 329 305 261 301 298 286 317 279 286 317 
			 
			  Bowel
			 Male 216 236 214 191 245 201 205 220 202 253 227 
			 Female 225 219 202 221 205 208 221 180 179 214 192 
			 Total 441 455 416 412 450 409 426 400 381 467 419 
			 
			  Trachea, Bronchus and Lung (C33,C34)
			 Male 536 507 523 525 514 526 494 508 491 476 485 
			 Female 271 272 278 281 310 315 346 270 319 327 320 
			 Total 807 779 801 806 824 841 840 778 810 803 805 
			 
			  Ovary (C56)
			 Female 90 99 89 96 89 116 101 117 109 130 120 
			 
			  All other cancers
			 Male 895 881 907 924 947 935 927 979 1,018 949 932 
			 Female 833 731 812 889 835 834 878 867 873 886 829 
			 Total 1,728 1,612 1,719 1,813 1,782 1,769 1,805 1,846 1,891 1,835 1,761 
			 
			  All other cancers( 1)
			 Male 886 878 898 915 940 926 920 974 1,011 941 923 
			 Female 831 727 809 885 830 831 875 852 868 876 822 
			 Total 1,717 1,605 1,707 1,800 1,770 1,757 1,795 1,826 1,879 1,817 1,745 
			 (1 )Excluding non-melanoma skin cancer 
		
	
	This information has been provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry and is the most up to date currently available.

Cancer

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the mortality rate was for cancer in people under 75 years in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: The following table gives the malignant neoplasms(1) mortality rate per 1,000 population of persons aged under 75 years in each of the last ten years.
	(1) International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes C00-C97 for years 2001-04 and Ninth Revision codes 140-208 for years 1995-2000.
	
		
			  Malignant neoplasms mortality rates per 1,000 population of persons aged under 75, 1995-2004( 1) 
			  Registration year  Mortality rate per 1,000 population 
			 1995 1.34 
			 1996 1.36 
			 1997 1.30 
			 1998 1.31 
			 1999 1.28 
			 2000 1.28 
			 2001 1.30 
			 2002 1.27 
			 2003 1.26 
			 2004 1.27 
			 (1) Rate per 1,000 people aged under 75.

CCTV

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police-monitored CCTV cameras are in operation in Castlereagh District Command Unit.

Paul Goggins: Aside from the CCTV cameras situated in and around police establishments, there are no other police-monitored CCTV cameras in operation in Castlereagh District Command Unit.

Child Obesity

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children at  (a) primary school,  (b) high school and  (c) other academic institutions in Northern Ireland are deemed to be (i) overweight and (ii) obese; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Information relating to how many children are (i) overweight and (ii) obese in schools and academic institutions is not currently available for all children in Northern Ireland. However such information relating to Primary schools is available for all P1 pupils from the Northern Ireland Child Health Systems. The following table shows the percentage of primary 1 pupils in Northern Ireland, 2003-04, who were overweight or obese.
	
		
			  Northern Ireland 2003-04 
			  Percentage 
			  P1 children  Overweight  Obese 
			 Male 14.3 4.6 
			 Female 19.8 6.9 
			 NI 17.0 5.7 
			  Source: Child Health System (NI) 2003-04 
		
	
	Further information on the height and weight of children and young people was collected as part of the Northern Ireland Health and Social Well-being Survey and will be available later this year.
	The report of the Fit Futures taskforce on tackling obesity in children and young people was published in March 2006. The report included over 70 recommendations designed to deliver the public service agreement target to stop the increase in levels of obesity in children by 2010. Responsibility for this target is shared by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, the Department of Education and the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure. A response from the Ministerial Group on Public Health to the Fit Futures report, including a comprehensive, cross-departmental implementation plan is currently being developed.

Civil Partnerships

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff in local authorities in Northern Ireland have  (a) refused and  (b) resigned a post based on personal Christian principles following the introduction of the Civil Partnership legislation.

David Cairns: There have been no instances reported to the General Register Office where staff in local authorities have  (a) refused or  (b) resigned a post based on personal Christian principles following the introduction of the Civil Partnership legislation.

Contraception

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many times in each of the last five years emergency contraception was given to under-age females in each health board in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not collected centrally. However, information is collected centrally on the number of times females under the age of 16 have obtained emergency contraception through Health and Social Services Trust family planning services. Information for the last five years is contained in the following table:
	
		
			   Eastern Board  Northern Board  Southern Board  Western Board 
			 2001-02 147 45 23 13 
			 2002-03 125 46 17 12 
			 2003-04 104 28 23 17 
			 2004-05 87 19 12 19 
			 2005-06 98 35 26 11 
		
	
	Hormonal emergency contraception is also available in accident and emergency units and from G.P. practices. These figures have not been included in the table as (a) figures from accident and emergency units are not collected centrally and (b) figures from G.P. practices are not broken down by age. Emergency contraception is not available over the counter in Northern Ireland for girls under the age of 16.

Cosmetic Surgery

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how cosmetic surgery is regulated in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: Doctors must be registered with the General Medical Council to practice medicine in the UK, regardless of the area in which they work. Similarly nurses and allied health professionals must be registered with the statutory regulatory body for their professions, i.e. the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Health Professions Council respectively. Those bodies are responsible for the registration and regulation of their professions.
	In addition, independent hospitals and clinics in Northern Ireland providing cosmetic surgery services are regulated under The Independent Health Care Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005. Under these regulations, independent hospitals and clinics must be registered with the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority and are subject to regular inspection by the Authority.

Departmental Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 17 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1009W, on departmental expenditure, what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of advertising commissioned by Northern Ireland Departments, including the Northern Ireland Office.

David Hanson: A comprehensive review of the procurement and management of government advertising has been undertaken and the final report, published in April 2006, is available in the House of Commons Library. The review considered every area of classified and campaign advertising across all media. The final report makes a series of recommendations aimed at improving value for money and effectiveness. These are now in the process of being implemented and progress against them will be monitored.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 18 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1243W, on departmental staff (vetting), what is being done to check information prior to August 2005 to ensure that no foreign nationals working in departments in Northern Ireland, including the Northern Ireland Office, would be disqualified for security reasons.

Paul Goggins: National security vetting information kept by the security vetting unit in the Northern Ireland Office in respect of the Northern Ireland Departments and the Northern Ireland Office was not recorded in a manner that would allow recall of the specific data prior to 1 August 2005. But this has no bearing on the appropriateness of national security vetting clearances given during the preceding four years and is not an indicator that further checks are now necessary.

Diabetes

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland have been refused  (a) driving and  (b) taxi licences as insulin-dependent diabetics in each of the last 10 years.

David Cairns: Insulin-dependent diabetes is not a prescribed condition and would not prevent an applicant from being granted a licence for a car or motorbike. It is a prescribed condition in respect of large good vehicles and all passenger carrying vehicles including taxis and prohibits the holding of licences for such vehicles. Information on the number of insulin- dependent diabetes who have been refused a licence is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Diabetes

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people aged 16 years and over in Northern Ireland were diagnosed with diabetes in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not available. However, figures are available on the number of registered patients, aged 17 and over, in each GP practice in Northern Ireland as recorded on the practice's Diabetes Register in each of the last two years.
	
		
			  At 14 February each year  Number on Diabetes Register (aged 17 and over) 
			 2005 51,541 
			 2006 54,950 
			  Notes: 1. The figures in the table are a count of all GP registered patients with diabetes at a particular point in time and therefore do not represent just newly diagnosed cases. 2. The diabetes register exists to fulfil requirements for the Quality and Outcomes Framework section of the General Medical Services (GMS) Statement of Financial Entitlement. This has been in operation for 2004-05 and 2005-06 and prevalence are only made on the National Prevalence Day of each financial year.  Source: Payment Calculation and Analysis System (PCAS).

Independent Monitoring Commission

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1601W, on dissident Republican paramilitaries, 
	(1)  whether the eighth report of the Independent Monitoring Commission provided evidence of which he was not already in possession on recruitment activities of dissident Republican groups;
	(2)  whether the Independent Monitoring Commission had access to security sources in preparing the eighth report that he has not had.

Paul Goggins: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1601W.

Grammar Schools

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many grammar schools had exclusively A grade pupils in the September 2005 intake.

Maria Eagle: Only one grammar school in Northern Ireland admitted exclusively Grade A applicants to Year 8 in September 2005. This school was Lumen Christi College, Londonderry.

Elderly Mentally Ill Provision

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many elderly mentally ill (EMI)  (a) nursing and  (b) residential beds there were in each health trust area in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997; what plans he has to increase the number; and what research has been carried out by his Department into the demand for future EMI provision.

Paul Goggins: Information on the number of  (a) nursing and  (b) residential places for the elderly mentally ill (EMI) is not available. The Health and Personal Social Services (HPSS) does not specify a number of nursing or residential home places dedicated solely to elderly mentally ill. The nature of placements may vary, according to demand.
	There are no specific plans to expand the number of EMI residential or nursing home places. In line with the Government's programme of reform and modernisation, the HPSS is required to develop a range of care services in response to its assessment of need. The focus of those services must be upon rehabilitation and supporting independent living. Too many people are placed unnecessarily in residential or nursing homes without the prospect of rehabilitation.
	Health and social services boards are responsible for assessing the care needs of their populations. Within that assessment, the future need for EMI residential places is kept under continuous review.

Emergency Doctor Service

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many calls to the out-of-hours emergency doctor service were recorded in each health board in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: Information on calls to out-of-hours services is held by health and social services boards from April 2005. Prior to this, information was held by individual GPs and GP Out-of-Hours Co-operatives and was not collated centrally.
	The table shows the number of calls to the out-of-hours service in each health and social services board area for the period April 2005-March 2006. It should be noted that the period covered did not include an Easter period, when it is possible that there was a higher volume of calls than over a normal weekend.
	
		
			   Number of calls 
			 Eastern Health and Social Services Board 156,000 
			 Western Health and Social Services Board 95,958 
			 Southern Health and Social Services Board 106,532 
			 Northern Health and Social Services Board 122,898

Epilepsy

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland died from epilepsy-related causes in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: The following table gives the number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland for each year between 2001 and 2005 where the primary cause of death was 'epilepsy'(1) or 'status epilepticus'(2).
	
		
			   Number of deaths due to: 
			   Epilepsy( 1)  Status epilepticus( 2) 
			 2001 22 1 
			 2002 22 4 
			 2003 22 5 
			 2004 31 1 
			 2005(3) 30 1 
			 (1) International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision code G40. (2) International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision code G41. (3) Provisional data.

Fair Employment and Treatment Order

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  whether an equality impact assessment will be carried out on the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister's proposals to amend the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003; and what assessment has been carried out of the effect that these proposals will have on public housing allocation for individuals from each community in Northern Ireland;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister's proposals to amend the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 to assist the introduction of mixed housing schemes;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the compliance of the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister's proposals to amend the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 with the EU Race Directive;
	(4)  if he will take steps to ensure that the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister's proposals to amend the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 to facilitate mixed housing schemes do not adversely affect steps taken  (a) to promote equality of opportunity and  (b) to ensure the elimination of community differentials in the allocation of public housing in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: The signatories to the Good Friday Agreement rightly recognised that an essential aspect of the reconciliation process is the promotion of a culture of tolerance at every level of society, including initiatives to facilitate and encourage integrated education and mixed housing.
	The Government have given a commitment to develop over the next 12 months, through the social housing development programme, two pilot schemes as part of a programme of actions under A Shared Future. The schemes will be promoted as "Housing through Choice" and will be taken forward only where it is practicable, desirable and safe to do so.
	In the meantime, the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, having regard to the commitments in the Good Friday Agreement, has signalled that it will engage with the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland and others to consider how best to facilitate mixed housing schemes in the future. That process will include an assessment of the existing legislation, including the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998, to see if it is necessary, and or appropriate, to amend legislation to facilitate the introduction of mixed housing schemes. Any subsequent proposals to amend the legislation will comply with our national and international obligations and will be subject to full equality, human rights and social need considerations.

Flags

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his Department's policy is on flying the EU flag from his Department's buildings.

Peter Hain: The flying of flags from Government buildings in Northern Ireland is governed by the Flags (Northern Ireland) Order 2000 and the Flags (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2000. These provide for the European flag to be flown from Government buildings in Northern Ireland on Europe Day (9 May) on buildings with two or more flag poles provided they are flown alongside the Union flag with the Union flag in the superior position.

Flags

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will ensure the Union Flag is flown on all working days from his Department's buildings.

Peter Hain: The flying of flags from Government buildings in Northern Ireland is governed by the Flags (Northern Ireland) Order 2000 and the Flags (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2000. These stipulate that the Union flag shall be flown on 15 specified days from seven designated Government buildings (which are, broadly speaking, the departmental headquarters of Northern Ireland Departments). Other Government buildings (which are defined as buildings which contain a workforce of over 50 per cent. Northern Ireland civil servants) may also fly the Union flag on the specified days. The regulations do not permit the Union flag to be flown from Government buildings on a daily basis.

Hospital Beds

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the bed capacity of the  (a) Ulster hospital and  (b) Royal Victoria hospital was (i) at the latest date in 2006 for which figures are available and (ii) at the same date in 2005.

Paul Goggins: Bed capacity at the (i) end of May 2006 and (ii) end of May 2005 for  (a) Ulster hospital and  (b) Royal Victoria hospital are provided in the following table:
	
		
			   Bed capacity at: 
			  Hospital  (i) End of May 2006  (ii) End of May 2005 
			  (a) Ulster Hospital 609 636 
			  (b) Royal Victoria Hospital 730 745 
			  Notes: 1. Ulster Hospital figures are at 31 May 2005 to 31 May 2006 2. Royal Victoria Hospital figures are at 27 May 2005 to 26 May 2006  Source:  Ulster Community and Hospitals HSS Trust; Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust 
		
	
	The figures presented in the table include both in-patient beds (beds in wards that are open overnight) and beds for use during the day only.

Hospital Treatment

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints have been made about the quality of care and treatment in each hospital in Northern Ireland in the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not held centrally. Complaints statistics are collated at HSS Trust level only. It will take a number of days before this information can be obtained and collated at hospital level.
	I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as the information becomes available and place a copy in the Library.

Knives

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many convictions there have been for illegal possession of a knife in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: Offences for which statistics are available refer to the possession of an 'offensive weapon' or 'article with blade or point', within which knives are included. While offensive weapons may not solely be knives further detail relating to type of weapon is not recorded in conviction datasets.
	The table provides the number of convictions relating to the possession of offensive weapons, for calendar years 1999-2003, the latter being the most up-to-date available.
	
		
			  Number of convictions for possession of offensive weapon offences 1999-2003 
			  Offensive weapon offences  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003( 1) 
			 Armed with offensive weapon with intent to commit offence 28 1 (1)1 — 2 
			 Possessing offensive weapon in public place 125 117 108 143 161 
			 Possessing article with blade or point in public place 2 7 9 17 15 
			 Possessing instrument with intent to commit offence 1 1 — — — 
			 Possessing offensive weapon on school premises — — — — — 
			 Possessing article with blade or point on school premises — — — — 1 
			 Total 156 126 118 160 179 
			 (1) Figures include revisions on previously published statistics.  Note: Figures are based on principal offence rule.

Litter/Dumping

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many reported incidents of illegal dumping there were along the border with the Republic of Ireland in the last six months.

David Cairns: The Environmental Crime section of the Environment and Heritage Service investigates all reports of illegal waste activity. Since 1 January 2006, 238 such reports have been received from the seven council areas adjoining the border with the Republic of Ireland, i.e. Armagh, Derry, Dungannon and South Tyrone, Fermanagh, Newry and Mourne, Omagh and Strabane). One offender has already been prosecuted, and there are 106 cases awaiting court hearings.

Litter/Dumping

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action has been taken against the owners of land upon which illegal dumping has taken place in Northern Ireland.

David Cairns: The Environment and Heritage Service investigates all reports of illegal waste activity. All significant sites are investigated with a view to prosecution, and over 120 individuals have been successfully prosecuted to date. Most of those convicted were the owners of land on which illegal dumps were situated.

Local Government Reorganisation

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the effect on jobs in the local government sector of the planned reorganisation of local authorities in Northern Ireland.

David Cairns: It is not possible at this stage to give a reliable estimate of the number of jobs that will be affected in local government as a result of the planned reorganisation of local authorities in Northern Ireland. Final decisions on the structures of new organisations will rest with the councils themselves.
	The Human Resources Sub Group of the Local Government Taskforce is currently considering the personnel issues arising from the implementation of the RPA within local government.

Manufacturing

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many manufacturing jobs there were in Northern Ireland in  (a) each of the last four years and  (b) the last period for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: Estimates of the number of employee jobs in manufacturing at Northern Ireland level are available from the Quarterly Employment Survey and the latest figures relate to March 2006. The number of employee jobs in the manufacturing industry in Northern Ireland at March 2006 and in each of the previous four years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Employee jobs in manufacturing in Northern Ireland, 2002-06 
			  March of each year  Number 
			 2002 97,740 
			 2003 93,520 
			 2004 89,840 
			 2005 87,430 
			 2006 86,120 
			  Note: Figures are not seasonally adjusted and are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: Quarterly Employment Survey, DETI.

Migrant Workers (Attacks)

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many attacks on migrant workers have been reported to the Police Service of Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and how many prosecutions there have been following such attacks, broken down by district command unit.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not available as the Police Service of Northern Ireland do not record attacks on migrant workers specifically. Incidents of this nature are included in the overall statistics for hate crime, which have been recorded since 2004. These statistics are available on the Police Service of Northern Ireland website at:
	www.psni.police.uk

MOT Tests

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the waiting time for an MOT in Northern Ireland was on the most recent available date.

David Cairns: The average waiting time for an MOT appointment for the week ending 10 June 2006 was 34 days.

MOT Tests

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cars were waiting for an MOT in Northern Ireland on the most recent available date.

David Cairns: There were 66,356 cars awaiting an MOT in the week ending 10 June 2006.

Motoring Offences

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) males and  (b) females were convicted of motoring offences in each district command unit in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years for which information is available.

David Hanson: The table provides the number of males and females convicted of motoring offences in each police district command unit (DCU), for the calendar years 2001-03. It should be noted that the statistics are collated based on the DCU in which an offender's address falls, rather than on the location of the offence. Data beyond 2003 are not yet available.
	
		
			  Convictions for motoring offences by district command unit 2001-03 
			   2001  2002  2003 
			  District command unit  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			 Antrim 334 51 318 61 342 60 
			 Ards 413 79 417 68 448 96 
			 Armagh 395 78 406 58 547 82 
			 Banbridge 206 52 244 43 230 45 
			 East Belfast 424 70 457 65 513 72 
			 North Belfast 692 81 641 82 859 104 
			 South Belfast 426 81 370 67 453 67 
			 West Belfast 502 50 602 67 611 54 
			 Ballymena 397 66 426 73 399 88 
			 Ballymoney 161 34 189 46 246 50 
			 Carrickfergus 279 51 217 61 248 38 
			 Coleraine 295 59 352 55 372 79 
			 Cookstown 245 44 233 38 288 59 
			 Craigavon 541 91 558 100 700 126 
			 Castlereagh 352 54 324 63 361 63 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 485 93 330 80 428 81 
			 Down 392 61 374 73 478 84 
			 Fermanagh 459 77 530 68 548 93 
			 Foyle 836 132 740 97 901 127 
			 Larne 205 36 221 41 216 40 
			 Limavady 219 37 247 35 290 48 
			 Lisburn 658 117 663 106 795 124 
			 Magherafelt 229 40 275 42 239 52 
			 Moyle 101 18 140 34 131 22 
			 Newtownabbey 507 79 392 73 487 53 
			 North Down 452 99 556 116 539 95 
			 Newry and Mourne 626 119 525 86 751 142 
			 Omagh 518 83 488 80 531 84 
			 Strabane 375 53 356 43 381 56 
			 Missing 679 78 739 93 717 109 
			 Total 12,403 2,063 12,330 2,014 14,049 2,293 
			  Note: Figures are based on a principal offence rule.

North Down and Ards Life Education Centre

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding has been made available by his Department for the work of the North Down and Ards Life Education Centre in each of the past five years; and what plans he has for future funding.

Paul Goggins: The Comber Drugs Awareness Group (CODAG) has received fixed term funding in respect of the North Down and Ards Life Education Centre from the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety as follows:
	
		
			  Financial Year  Amount (£) 
			 2002-03(1) 20,149 
			 2003-04 40,298 
			 2004-05 43,967 
			 2005-06 45,066 
			 2006-07(2) 23,096 
			 Total 172,576 
			 (1) Figures for 2002-03 represent the six-month period from 1 October 2002 to 31 March 2003 when project commenced. (2) Figures for 2006-07 represent the six-month period from 1 April 2006 to 30 September 2006 when current funding stream ceases. 
		
	
	This funding was in support of the Drug and Alcohol strategies launched in 1999 and 2000 respectively. These strategies and their associated funding cease on 30 September 2006. On 1 October 2006 the New Strategic Direction for Alcohol and Drugs 2006-11 (NSD) published on 8 May 2006 will begin its implementation. The local Drug and Alcohol Co-ordination Team (EDACT) has developed local outcomes in support of the NSD covering areas such as education and prevention.
	Funding is available in support of the delivery of these local outcomes, and a tendering process is currently under way in respect of this; it will be completed by 28 June 2006 when decisions will have been made and organisations informed.
	The South Eastern Education and Library Board provided £9,000 per annum from 2000-01 to 2002-03 and 20,000 per annum from 2003-04 to 2005-06 to assist with the running of the centres.
	The South Eastern Education and Library Board is unable to provide funding for the Centres in 2006-07 due to financial constraints.
	CODAG has also received funding from the Ards and North Down Community Safety Partnerships. In 2004-05 this was £6,120, with no funding in 2005-06. Indicative allocations for 2006-07 and 2007-08 are £7,000 and £7,200.

Parenting

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which Northern Ireland Department has lead responsibility for taking forward the Parenting and Family Support Strategy and Positive Parenting programmes and activities; and which programmes and activities promoting positive parenting are ongoing.

Paul Goggins: The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) has the lead responsibility for taking forward the Family and Parenting Strategy and Positive Parenting programmes and activities.
	DHSSPS, in conjunction with the area child protection committees recently published and distributed the 'Safe Parenting Handbook' which provides information and signposting to parents on a range of issues, including positive parenting.
	DHSSPS also encourages the ongoing promotion of positive parenting, through Sure Start projects, which offer training and information to parents and workers on alternatives to physical punishment, and through funding to organisations, particularly the Parent's Advice Centre, which develops and runs parenting programmes that promote positive parenting.

Parenting

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the Parenting and Family Support Strategy referred to in the consultation on a Draft Strategy for Children and Young People in Northern Ireland is expected to be published.

Paul Goggins: It is envisaged that the Family and Parenting Strategy will be ready for consultation by summer of this year.

Parenting

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much the Department for Education plans to spend on the promotion of positive parenting over the next three years.

Maria Eagle: The Department of Education's earmarked budget for parenting initiatives is currently £250,000 per annum and is allocated entirely to the education and library boards. It is primarily a matter for each board to determine how these earmarked resources should be used.
	There are no plans to increase the current level of earmarked funding which the Department of Education makes available to education and library boards for this purpose. However, boards are free to supplement this funding by allocating further resources from within their overall block grant.
	Funding has recently been made available to 471 schools from the children and young people funding package for the extended schools programme. This will enable schools to develop, initiatives some of which may involve parents. In addition, a further £10 million has recently issued directly to all schools and it is open to schools to determine whether some of this additional funding should be used to support parenting initiatives.

Parenting

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures his Department has introduced for the promotion of positive parenting in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years; and at what cost in each year.

Paul Goggins: The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS), in conjunction with the area child protection committees recently published and distributed the 'Safe Parenting Handbook' which provides information and signposting to parents on a range of issues, including positive parenting.
	DHSSPS is also encouraging the ongoing promotion of positive parenting, through Sure Start projects, which offer training and information to parents and workers on alternatives to physical punishment, and through funding to organisations, particularly the Parent's Advice Centre, which develops and runs parenting programmes that promote positive parenting.
	The cost of the 'Safe Parenting Handbook' was £67,570. However, it is not possible to break down the unit cost of each measure undertaken by the aforementioned projects and organisations and, for that reason, the cost of positive parenting could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Pharmaceuticals

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland suffered adverse reactions to pharmaceuticals in each of the last five years; and how many died as a result in each year.

Paul Goggins: Information on the number of people who suffered adverse reactions to pharmaceuticals is not available. Information is available on those who were admitted to hospital and had a diagnosis of an adverse reaction to drugs(1).
	Table 1 details the number of admissions(2) to hospital with a primary or secondary diagnosis of adverse reactions to drugs(1), for each year between 2000 and 2004 (the latest calendar year for which data is available). It should be noted that any individual could have been admitted to hospital more than once over the course of a year or over a number of years and would therefore be counted more than once in the table.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			   Admissions( 2)  due to adverse reactions to drugs( 1) 
			 2000 1,506 
			 2001 1,781 
			 2002 1,561 
			 2003 1,551 
			 2004 1,682 
			 (1) Drugs refers to drugs, medicaments and biological substances causing adverse effects in therapeutic use. (2) Discharges and deaths are used as an approximation to admissions.  Source: Hospital Inpatients System. 
		
	
	Table 2 details the number of people who have died as a result of adverse reactions to drugs(1), in each year between 2000 and 2004.
	
		
			  Table 2: Deaths due to drugs, medicaments and biological substances causing adverse effects in therapeutic use 
			   Number of deaths 
			 2000 2 
			 2001 1 
			 2002 — 
			 2003 3 
			 2004 1 
			  Source: Demography and Methodology Branch, NISRA, DFP.

Police Bodies (Security Incident)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what security checks were carried out in respect of  (a) Mr. Desmond Clayton and  (b) Mr. Thomas Hale prior to their appointment as staff of the (i) Northern Ireland Police Fund and (ii) Police Rehabilitation and Retraining Trust.

Paul Goggins: The appointment of members of staff to the Northern Ireland Police Fund and Police Rehabilitation and Retraining Trust is a matter for the fund and the trust respectively.

Police Bodies (Security Incident)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what references were taken up in respect of  (a) Mr. Desmond Clayton and  (b) Mr. Thomas Hale as part of the appointment process for their employment with (i) the Northern Ireland Police Fund and (ii) the Police Rehabilitation and Retraining Trust.

Paul Goggins: Appointment processes in the Northern Ireland Police Fund and Police Rehabilitation and Retraining Trust are matters for the board of directors of the fund and the trust respectively.

Police Bodies (Security Incident)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what names of previous employers  (a) Mr. Desmond Clayton and  (b) Mr. Thomas Hale submitted as part of the appointment process to (i) the Northern Ireland Police Fund and (ii) the Police Rehabilitation and Retraining Trust.

Paul Goggins: The appointment of members of staff to the Northern Ireland Police Fund and Police Rehabilitation and Retraining Trust is a matter for the board of directors of the fund and the trust respectively.

Police Bodies (Security Incident)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether any civil actions have been started by staff in the Northern Ireland Police Fund and Police Rehabilitation and Retraining Trust.

Paul Goggins: Civil actions by members of staff in the Northern Ireland Police Fund and Police Rehabilitation and Retraining Trust are matters for the board of directors of the fund and the trust respectively.

Police Bodies (Security Incident)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people had their details leaked to parliamentary organisations as a result of the breach of security in  (a) the Northern Ireland Police Fund and  (b) the Police Rehabilitation and Retraining Trust.

Paul Goggins: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Under-Secretary, hon. Friend the Member for St. Helens, South (Mr. Woodward), on 6 June 2005,  Official Report, column 370W, to the hon. Member for Lagan Valley (Mr. Donaldson).

Police Bodies (Security Incident)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what date Mr. Thomas Hale was detained in connection with terrorist offences.

Paul Goggins: The operational detail of the investigation is a matter for the Chief Constable.

Police Bodies (Security Incident)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many official complaints have been made by  (a) members of staff and  (b) serving and former police personnel and their families about Mr. Colin Ashe's role in the Northern Ireland Police Fund.

Paul Goggins: The employment of the acting chief executive of the Northern Ireland Police Fund is a matter for the directors of the Fund.

Police Bodies (Security Incident)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many  (a) serving and former officers and family members and  (b) members of staff at the Northern Ireland Police Fund were interviewed relating to the possible breach of security in the Northern Ireland Police Fund;
	(2)  how many  (a) serving and former officers and family members and  (b) members of staff in the Northern Ireland Police Fund were asked if they would be willing to give evidence in any prosecutions stemming from a breach of security in the Northern Ireland Police Fund; and how many (i) refused and (ii) initially agreed but later withdrew their statement.

Paul Goggins: A full investigation has been carried out in relation to alleged breaches of security within the Northern Ireland Police Fund. This investigation has now been completed and involved a comprehensive programme of interviews. No persons have been prosecuted as a result of this investigation. It would not be appropriate to comment on the operational detail of the investigation as such issues are a matter for the Chief Constable.

Police

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many temporary advances issued to police officers in Northern Ireland  (a) attending courses outside Northern Ireland and  (b) performing operational duty outside Northern Ireland are outstanding; and what is the total cost.

Paul Goggins: It is not PSNI practice to provide advances of pay, and both police and civilian pay branches have confirmed that they currently have no outstanding temporary advances of pay.
	In terms of other advances, PSNI currently have 311 advances with a total value of almost £84,000. It would require a manual search of files at disproportionate cost to determine the details of each advance.

Police

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police officers in Northern Ireland have been retired on medical grounds in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is provided in the table.
	
		
			   PSNI  PSNI FTR 
			 2001 135 138 
			 2002 115 162 
			 2003 87 84 
			 2004 78 68 
			 2005 45 56 
			 Total 460 508

Prescription Charges

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was received through payment of prescription charges in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Goggins: Income from prescription charges comes from over the counter payments at point of dispensing and the purchase of prepayment certificates. The following table presents this information.
	
		
			  Total receipts from prescription charges, 1996-97 to 2005-06 
			  £ 
			   Receipts from prescription charges  Receipts from the sale of prepayment certificates  All receipts 
			 1996-97 6,224,271 1,106,957 7,331,228 
			 1997-98 6,784,485 1,205,398 7,989,883 
			 1998-99 7,007,487 1,271,548 8,279,035 
			 1999-2000 8,182,594 1,616,757 9,799,351 
			 2000-01 8,499,127 1,802,610 10,301,738 
			 2001-02 9,074,172 1,977,431 11,051,603 
			 2002-03 9,597,446 2,205,758 11,803,204 
			 2003-04 9,798,405 2,336,186 12,134,591 
			 2004-05 10,261,870 2,455,706 12,717,576 
			 2005-06 10,675,802 2,669,544 13,345,346

Prescription Charges

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost was of prescription charge exemption in each health board in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested cannot be answered strictly in the format requested because the information is not routinely collected in that form. However, it has been estimated that, at Northern Ireland level, 89 per cent. of prescription items are dispensed annually free of charge. The following table shows the associated estimated cost of not collecting the prescription charge on these items. This estimate is only available from 1997-98, is produced at a regional level and cannot be broken down by health board.
	
		
			  Estimated cost of prescription charge exemption, 1997-98 to 2005-06 
			   Northern Ireland (£) 
			 1997-98 107,860,766 
			 1998-99 114,356,445 
			 1999-2000 119,943,080 
			 2000-01 125,872,359 
			 2001-02 131,852,368 
			 2002-03 115,685,772 
			 2003-04 147,007,662 
			 2004-05 153,550,657 
			 2005-06 161,772,423

Prison Service

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in total have been employed in the Prison Service in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The number of staff employed in the Northern Ireland Prison Service at 31 December for each of the last five years is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  As at 31 December  Number 
			 2001 2112 
			 2002 2092 
			 2003 2034 
			 2004 2054 
			 2005 2061

Prisoners

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications made by prisoners for home leave were  (a) accepted and  (b) rejected in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The table shows the total number of home leave applications, further broken down to show the number of applications accepted, rejected and cancelled for the years 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 to date. The great majority were in respect of prisoners completing their sentences at Magilligan prison.
	Information for the years 2001-02 and 2002-03 plus the cancelled and rejected breakdown for 2003-04 is not readily available. I regret that to provide this would incur disproportionate costs.
	
		
			   Number of applications  Accepted (approved)  Rejected or withdrawn 
			 2003-04 2,947 2,030 917 
			 2004-05 2,531 1,817 714 
			 2005-06 2,790 2,173 617 
			 2006-07( )(to date) 512 377 135

Prisoners

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners have failed to return to prison following  (a) weekend and  (b) compassionate release in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The table shows the number of prisoners who failed to return to prison following periods of pre-release home leave including at weekends and compassionate release in Northern Ireland for the years 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 to date.
	The information sought for the previous years is not available without incurring disproportionate costs.
	
		
			   (a) Weekend Leave  (b) Compassionate Release 
			 2004-05 4 13 
			 2005-06 11 12 
			 2006-07 (to date) 2 6 
		
	
	The great majority of these prisoners have been returned to prison—only two prisoners remain unlawfully at large following periods of pre-release home leave and two following release by courts on compassionate bail.

Prisoners

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners have escaped from accompanying prison staff while released on compassionate leave in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: Three prisoners have absconded from accompanying staff while released on compassionate leave over the last five years as shown.
	
		
			   Details  Number of absconds 
			 2001-02 Accompanied by two probation officers 1 
			 2002-03 Accompanied by a prison chaplain 1 
			 2003-04 — 0 
			 2004-05 — 0 
			 2005-06 — 0 
			 2006-07 (to date) Accompanied by a prison chaplain 1

Prisoners

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much compensation has been paid out to prisoners in Northern Ireland following  (a) accidental injury and  (b) a successful claim of assault by a member of staff.

Paul Goggins: The following table indicates compensation paid to prisoners due to  (a) accidental injury and  (b) successful claim of assault by a member of staff.
	
		
			  Category  Period  Number of claims  Amount (£) 
			 Accidental injury 2005-06 12 14,150 
			 Successful claim of assault by a member of staff 2005-06 7 2,500 
			  Note: Social security agency payments for reimbursement of benefits in relation to alleged injuries are not included.

Prisoners

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many mandatory drug tests were carried out in prisons in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many were  (a) positive and  (b) negative in each year.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Prison Service does not currently have a programme of mandatory drug testing, although its planned to make the necessary changes to the prison rules later this year. In the meantime there is extensive drug testing of prisoners, on a voluntary basis, mainly as part of the Progressive Regime and Earned Privileges Scheme.

Prisoners

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average cost of housing a prisoner was over the last financial year in prison in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: The latest published cost per prisoner place figures relate to the 2004-05 financial year, when they totalled £85,935.
	The NI Prison Service publishes the average cost per prisoner place in its annual report and accounts. The 2005-06 annual report and accounts will be laid before Parliament in July.

Procurement

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  when the Department of Education will confirm the procurement route for capital projects announced on 1 March 2006;
	(2)  which schools in Northern Ireland he expects to be built using private finance initiative arrangements; and what progress has been made on each site since the announcement was made.

Maria Eagle: The procurement routes for the schools announced for capital funding on 1 March 2006 are being announced today. None of these schools will be built using the private finance initiative. Confirmation of the procurement routes will enable planning of the schools to proceed.

Public Sector Staff

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the  (a) party affiliation,  (b) sex and  (c) religion is of each member of each associated public body in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Individuals appointed to the boards of non-departmental public bodies in Northern Ireland are not required to declare their party affiliation or religion, however, they are asked to indicate their gender and declare their community background and if they have undertaken any significant political activity in the five years prior to the date of their application. In addition, they are asked to provide details of their age, disability and ethnicity.
	Appointments are made solely on merit. Political activity, gender, community background and other personal details are recorded for monitoring purposes only and play no part in the selection process.
	Disclosure of information on community background by reference to each public body in Northern Ireland would contravene the data protection principles set out in the Data Protection Act 1998.
	An overview of the political activity, gender and community background of both applicants and appointees to bodies sponsored by Northern Ireland's 11 Government Departments, as well as details of their age, disability and ethnicity can be found in the Public Appointments Annual Report. Similar information in respect of NIO sponsored bodies is included in the NIO Departmental Report. Copies of the latest versions of both these reports are available from the Library of the House and can be found on the Internet at www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/public-appointments and www.nio.gov.uk/nio_departmental_report_2006.pdf respectively.

Racially Motivated Crime

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what change there was in the incidence of racially motivated crime in each Police Command Unit in Northern Ireland between 2003 and 2005.

Paul Goggins: During 2004-05, the Police Service of Northern Ireland established a baseline measure of crimes with a racial motivation and these figures together with those for 2005-06 are contained in the table.
	
		
			  Racial Motivation: Incidents and Recorded Crimes by District Command Unit,, 2004-05 and 2005-06 
			   Total number of incidents  Total offences recorded 
			   2004-05  2005-06  Change  Percentage change  2004-05  2005-06  Change  Percentage change 
			 Antrim 23 37 +14 +60.9 21 23 +2 +9.5 
			 Ards 25 28 +3 +12.0 22 23 +1 +4.5 
			 East Belfast 54 74 +20 +37.0 32 48 +16 +50.0 
			 North Belfast 76 62 -14 -18.4 49 31 -18 -36.7 
			 South Belfast 159 106 -53 -33.3 108 73 -35 -32.4 
			 West Belfast 13 13 0 0.0 15 8 -7 -46.7 
			 Carrickfergus 21 6 -15 -71.4 14 3 -11 -78.6 
			 Castlereagh 12 21 +9 +75.0 4 16 +12 +300.0 
			 Larne 0 2 +2 — 0 2 +2 — 
			 Lisburn 28 43 +15 +53.6 19 44 +25 +131.6 
			 Newtownabbey 15 52 +37 +246.7 15 49 +34 +226.7 
			 North Down 19 20 +1 +5.3 14 11 -3 -21.4 
			 Urban Region 445 464 +19 +4.3 313 331 +18 +5.8 
			  
			 Armagh 14 20 +6 +42.9 13 19 +6 +46.2 
			 Ballymena 52 53 +1 +1.9 39 51 +12 +30.8 
			 Ballymoney 8 7 -1 -12.5 8 7 -1 -12.5 
			 Banbridge 1 4 +3 +300.0 0 2 +2 — 
			 Coleraine 22 37 +15 +68.2 21 31 +10 +47.6 
			 Cookstown 16 21 +5 +31.3 24 15 -9 -37.5 
			 Craigavon 79 78 -1 -1.3 74 69 -5 -6.8 
			 Down 8 13 +5 +62.5 4 6 +2 +50.0 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 69 102 +33 +47.8 55 91 +36 +65.5 
			 Fermanagh 18 29 +11 +61.1 11 28 +17 +154.5 
			 Foyle 40 27 -13 -32.5 29 22 -7 -24.1 
			 Limavady 7 7 0 0.0 6 5 -1 -16.7 
			 Magherafelt 9 17 +8 +88.9 10 20 +10 +100.0 
			 Moyle 1 7 +6 +600.0 1 6 +5 +500.0 
			 Newry and Mourne 15 35 +20 +133.3 17 33 +16 +94.1 
			 Omagh 6 13 +7 +116.7 5 8 +3 +60.0 
			 Strabane 3 2 -1 -33.3 4 2 -2 -50.0 
			 Rural Region 368 472 +104 +28.3 321 415 +94 +29.3 
			  
			 Total 813 936 +123 +15.1 634 746 +112 +17.7 
			  Note: Figures available prior to April 2004 are not directly comparable with incident figures collated from April 2004 and could not be used to measure/gauge changes in the incidence of such crimes.

Residential Care

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes there have been in the number of beds for elderly people in residential homes in Northern Ireland between May 1998 and the latest available date.

Paul Goggins: Information on the number of beds for elderly people in residential homes is available as at 31 March each year, and figures are shown in the following table for the years 1998-2005. The table also shows the annual change in the numbers of beds and the change between 1998 and 2005.
	
		
			Change from previous year 
			   Number of beds  Number  Percentage 
			 1998 4,876 — — 
			 1999 4,836 -40 -0.8 
			 2000 4,517 -319 -6.6 
			 2001 4,579 +62 +1.4 
			 2002 4,596 +17 +0.4 
			 2003 4,706 +110 +2.4 
			 2004 4,624 -82 -1.7 
			 2005 4,492 -132 -2.9 
			 Change 1998-2005 — -384 -7.9

Road Programmes

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans there are for major road improvements on the coastal route of the Lower Ards Peninsula at Ballywalter and Portavogie in 2006-07.

David Cairns: The Acting Chief Executive of Roads Service (Mr. Geoff Allister) has been asked to write to the hon. Lady in response to this question.
	 Letter from Mr. Geoff Allister, dated 21 June 2006:
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a parliamentary question regarding what plans there are for major road improvements on the coastal route of the Lower Ards Peninsula at Ballywalter and Portavogie in 2006-07.
	As this issue falls within my responsibility as Acting Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.
	The A2 coast road between Ballywalter and Portavogie is inspected regularly in accordance with Roads Service's inspection and repair procedures. The road is considered to be in a generally good condition, although the section between Ballywalter and Ballyhalbert, which is just under 5km in length, is subject to flooding at some locations during periods of heavy rainfall. Roads Service intends to commence drainage improvement works on this section during 2006-07, however, given the overall length of this section of road, it is likely that this work will continue over the next few years, with a longer-term aim to resurface the road. I would add that all proposed works will of course be subject to the availability of funding and other pressures.
	The section of the route between Ballyhalbert and Portavogie was resurfaced and had new drainage installed approximately 6 years ago and there are no proposals to carry out major improvement works in 2006-07.

Road Safety

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pedestrians have been killed using properly designated crossings in Northern Ireland in the last three years, broken down by Westminster constituency.

Paul Goggins: The PSNI do not record statistics by Westminster constituency and to provide the information in that format could be supplied only at disproportionate cost. However, the number of pedestrians killed using properly designated crossings during the last three years, by each District Command Unit, is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number of pedestrian fatalities by pedestrian crossing and DCU, 2003-05 
			  Crossing on pedestrian crossing  2003  2004  2005  2003-05 
			 Armagh 0 1 0 1 
			 East Belfast 0 0 0 0 
			 North Belfast 1 0 0 1 
			 West Belfast 1 0 0 1 
			 Fermanagh 1 0 0 1 
			 Total 3 1 0 4

Road Safety

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the frequency is of  (a) recalibration and  (b) other maintenance for static speed detection devices in Northern Ireland; and who undertakes this work.

Paul Goggins: Static speed cameras are calibrated on an annual basis or more often as required following repair or upgrading work, which is carried out as and when required. All calibration, repair and maintenance works are carried out by Redspeed International, who are based in Kidderminster.

Road Safety

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of speed cameras on main roads in Northern Ireland in reducing the incidence of speeding.

Paul Goggins: The provision of safety cameras on Northern Ireland roads accounts for only one of the many strands of road safety initiatives conducted by both police and other statutory agencies.
	While police activity is concentrated upon enforcement, they also engage with the public to educate and inform, and also liaise with the Department for Regional Development to ensure that the road infrastructure in Northern Ireland is as safe as possible.
	In the last five years, there has been a downward trend in the numbers of injury collisions from 8,388 in 2000, to a total of 4,947 in 2005. As approximately 44 per cent. of the injuries received are directly attributable to collisions in which excess speed is the major causation factor, targeting excess speed remains a priority for the PSNI.
	Initial findings into the evaluation of the effectiveness of the fixed site safety cameras shows that in the two years immediately preceding the launch of the Safety Camera Scheme, there were 11 killed and seriously injured (KSI) collisions at the locations of the four fixed site safety cameras. In the two years post-launch, this number had fallen to six KSI collisions at the same sites.
	Further evaluation into the effectiveness of fixed and mobile safety camera operation at sites throughout Northern Ireland is being carried out by the PSNI and the findings will be included in a report that will be made available in due course on the PSNI website.

School Buildings

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland further to the answer of 19 December 2005,  Official Report, columns 2596-98W, on school buildings, what progress has been made in relation to the commencement of building work for the new  (a) Foyle and Londonderry college and  (b) Ebrington primary school.

Maria Eagle: A comprehensive redevelopment master plan for the former military lands at Clooney will be published by the Department for Social Development. The master plan involved public consultation and liaison with key stakeholders, including Foyle and Londonderry college and Ebrington primary school. The procurement routes for the schools announced for capital funding in March are being announced today and this will enable planning of new schools for Foyle and Londonderry college and Ebrington primary school to go forward.

School Violence

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many school children in Northern Ireland have been suspended for  (a) attacks on teachers and  (b) bullying other school children in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: From the 2002-03 school year, statistics on the reasons for suspension have been gathered annually from each education and library board and relate to the number of individual suspensions not to the number of pupils suspended.
	The following table details the number of suspensions for physical attacks on staff and bullying of other school children in the 2002-03 to 2004-05 school years.
	
		
			  Reason for suspension  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Physical attacks on staff 365 320 262 
			 Bullying other school children 289 341 322

Seatbelts

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what advice he has provided to education and library boards in Northern Ireland regarding the wearing of seatbelts on school buses.

Maria Eagle: European Union legislation requires that all new non-urban buses (such as those in education and library board fleets) must be fitted with seatbelts as standard. Boards have, since 2000, been purchasing all new vehicles fully fitted with seatbelts. At present 65 per cent. of all board fleet vehicles have seat belts fitted. That figure should rise to 70 per cent. of the fleet once the latest order for new buses has been met. In addition, all new vehicles purchased by the boards have a recorded safety announcement fitted as standard, which reminds pupils of the need to wear their seatbelts.
	When hiring private operator vehicles, boards also endeavour to ensure that they are fitted with seat belts. All taxi operator services, including black taxis, must have seatbelts fitted to be eligible to provide home to school transport services.
	Finally, parents and pupils are advised of the requirement to wear seatbelts in the Safe School Travel booklet, produced jointly by boards and Translink. This booklet clearly indicates that seatbelts, when provided, must be worn at all times whether the pupil travels by bus or taxi.

Smoking Restrictions

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what preparations his Department is making for the introduction of the restrictions on smoking in public places in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: Preliminary discussions with a range of agencies have taken place to assess the implications of smoke-free legislation, which is scheduled to be introduced in April 2007. Once the draft Smoking (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 has completed its legislative process, further discussions will take place and guidance will be issued to employers, enforcement officers and the general public.

Special Advisers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 24 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1776W, on special advisers, how much of the spending on travelling expenses was for air travel.

Peter Hain: Pursuant to the answer of 24 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1776W, of the £42,536.18 spent on travelling expenses for special advisers, £28,662.61 was spent on air travel in the financial year 2005-06.

Special Advisers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent  (a) on travel and subsistence and  (b) on air travel for special advisers in the Northern Ireland Office in each of the last five years.

Peter Hain: The information requested by the hon. Member is not readily available for all of the five years. Prior to financial year 2005-06, payments in respect of special advisers in the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) were not separated out from civil servants. The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. In 2005-06, the NIO restructured the ministerial expenditure codes in order to separately identify Ministers', ministerial support staff and special advisor costs.
	The amount spent in 2005-06 on special advisers' travel and subsistence was £44,177.41, of which £28,662.61 relates to air travel.

Special Needs Children

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the ratio is of care attendants to special needs children in each Education and Library Board area.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Sure Start

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland where funding for the Sure Start initiative in Northern Ireland is being targeted; which groups have received funding; and how much each has received.

Paul Goggins: The information is as follows.
	1. There are currently 25 Sure Start programmes across Northern Ireland. The programmes are targeted in areas of need and cover a wide geographic spread with a good urban/rural mix.
	2. The following table outlines each of the groups funding position in 2005-06.
	
		
			  Childcare partnership/Sure Start project  2005-06 expenditure (£) 
			  Eastern Childcare Partnership  
			 Clan Mor (Lower Falls) 362,242 
			 Colin (Twinbrook/Poleglass) 462,778 
			 Downpatrick 375,013 
			 Inner City East Belfast 360,291 
			 Lower Ards 226,179 
			 Shankill 385,463 
			 Inner City South Belfast 472,689 
			 SMILE (New Lodge) 365,650 
			 Upper North Belfast 338,353 
			 Total 3,348,658 
			   
			  Western Childcare Partnership  
			 Dungiven 297,515 
			 LAST (Omagh) 297,697 
			 CHERISH (Irvinestown) 292,522 
			 Shantallow (Derry) 344,558 
			 Strabane 387,485 
			 Crevagh/Springtown (Derry) 291,017 
			 Total 1,910,794 
			   
			  Northern Childcare Partnership  
			 Ballymena South 296,570 
			 Dalriada (Bushmills) 297,336 
			 Coleraine 488,977 
			 G-Old (Cookstown) 349,965 
			 Newtownabbey 334,201 
			 Total 1,767,049 
			   
			  Southern Childcare Partnership  
			 Blossom (Portadown) 338,094 
			 Dungannon 300,937 
			 Orana (Newry) 476,021 
			 South Armagh 318,949 
			 Total 1,722,963 
			   
			 Grand total 8,749,464 
		
	
	3. There will be an expansion of Sure Start under the Children and Young People's package as announced by the Secretary of State on 7 March 2006. The expansion will target areas within the 20 per cent. most disadvantaged wards in Northern Ireland. The precise details of groups and associated funding for the expansion are to be agreed.

Teacher Training

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many teacher training places were available in each of the last 10 years; how many people entered training in each year; and how many qualified.

Maria Eagle: The Department of Education determines the number of students to be admitted each year to initial teacher education (ITE) courses in Northern Ireland. This is achieved by means of the teacher demand model—a statistical exercise which takes account of a number of factors, including: projected pupil enrolments in the various sectors; teacher wastage rates; and, pupil teacher ratios. The end product provides a projection of teacher vacancies and the consequent requirements for intakes into ITE courses.
	Data on students enrolled and gaining qualifications from Northern Ireland Higher Education Institutions have been obtained from the Higher Education Statistics Agency. Data for the 2005-06 academic year will not be available until early 2007, the latest available data refer to 2004-05.
	The approved intakes, first year enrolments and the numbers qualifying from the four locally established Higher Education Institutions are as follows:
	
		
			  Initial Teacher Training Statistics—Northern Ireland Higher Education Institutions 
			   Approved intakes  Enrolled  Qualified 
			 1996-97 687 683 753 
			 1997-98 680 644 644 
			 1998-99 726 680 649 
			 1999-2000 787 750 635 
			 2000-01 825 798 700 
			 2001-02 830 833 716 
			 2002-03 851 858 772 
			 2003-04 856 873 779 
			 2004-05 850 840 804 
			 2005-06 816 (1)— (1)— 
			 (1 )Not yet available.

Terrorist Attacks

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) residential,  (b) industrial and  (c) commercial premises were damaged by terrorist attack by (i) Republican paramilitary groups and (ii) Loyalist paramilitary groups in each of the last 30 years.

Paul Goggins: Statistical information on security-related incidents including bombings and incendiary attacks in Northern Ireland between 1969-2006 is as follows:
	
		
			  Security-Related Incidents 1969- 2006 (updated on 9 May 2006) 
			Bombings( 2)  Incendiaries( 3) 
			   Shooting( 1) incidents  Incidents  Devices used  Incidents  Devices used 
			 1969 73 n/a 10 n/a 0 
			 1970 213 n/a 170 n/a 0 
			 1971 1,756 n/a 1,5.15 n/a 0 
			 1972 10,631 n/a 1,853 n/a 0 
			 1973 5,019 n/a 1,520 n/a 0 
			 1974 3,208 n/a 1,113 n/a 270 
			 1975 1,803 n/a 635 n/a 56 
			 1976 1,908 n/a 1,192 n/a 236 
			 1977 1,081 n/a 535 n/a 608 
			 1978 755 n/a 633 n/a 115 . 
			 1979 728 n/a 564 n/a 60 
			 1980 642 n/a 400 n/a 2 
			 1981 1,142 n/a 529 n/a 49 
			 1982 547 n/a 332 n/a 36 
			 1983 424 n/a 367 n/a 43 
			 1984 334 n/a 248 n/a 10 
			 1985 238 n/a 215 n/a 36 
			 1986 392 n/a 254 n/a 21 
			 1987 674 n/a 384 n/a 9 
			 1988 538 n/a 458 n/a 8 
			 1989 566 n/a 420 n/a 7 
			 1990 557 236 286 26 33 
			 1991 499 312 368 144 237 
			 1992 506 318 371 86 126 
			 1993 476 257 289 45 61 
			 1994 348 207 222 88 115 
			 1995 50 2 2 10 10 
			 1996 125 17 25 4 4 
			 1997 225 78 93 9 9 
			 1998 211 127 243 20 20 
			 1999 125 82 100 7 7 
			 2000 302 117 135 9 22 
			 2001 355 349 444 5 6 
			 2002 350 188 239 3 3 
			 2003 229 77 88 8 8 
			 2004 185 64 69 21 28 
			 2005 167 83 105 9 9 
			 2005(4) 34 5 5 8 8 
			 2006(4) 23 3 3 0 0 
			 (1) The following types of shooting incidents are included:  Shots fired by terrorists  Shots fired by the security forces  Paramilitary-style attacks involving shootings  Shots heard (and later confirmed)  Other violent incidents where shots are fired (e.g. armed robbery)  (2) An individual bombing incident may involve one or more explosive devices. Incidents recorded include explosions and defusings (devices used). Incidents involving hoax devices, petrol bombings or incendiaries are excluded.  (3) Incidents recorded include explosions and defusings (devices used).  (4) To 31 March.   Note:  2006 statistics are provisional and may be subject to minor amendment.

Terrorist Attacks

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost of compensation paid to  (a) industrial,  (b) commercial and  (c) residential premises as a result of terrorist attacks by (i) Republican paramilitary groups and (ii) Loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland was in each of the last 30 years.

Peter Hain: The Compensation Agency cannot provide information about the cost of compensation stemming specifically from terrorist attacks as there is often no way of ascertaining the motives of an individual or group who have damaged property unless a prosecution follows. Additionally where the perpetrator is unknown, or where no prosecution has taken place, the agency could only speculate about potential motive. Therefore any figures provided would be very unreliable.

Terrorist Attacks

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost of compensation paid to individuals as a result of injury through terrorist attack by  (a) Republican paramilitary groups and  (b) Loyalist paramilitary groups was in Northern Ireland in each of the last 30 years.

Peter Hain: The Compensation Agency cannot provide information about the cost of compensation stemming specifically from terrorist attacks as there is often no way of ascertaining the motives of a victim's assailants unless a prosecution follows. In many cases where the assailant(s) are unknown, or where no prosecution has taken place, the agency could only speculate about the perpetrator's motives and consequently figures provided on that basis would be very unreliable.

Truancy

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pupils truanted for at least one day from secondary school in each education board in Northern Ireland in each academic year since 2001.

Maria Eagle: The Department of Education does not collect the requested information. However, information about referrals of pupils to the Education Welfare Service is collected from each of the Education and Library Boards on an annual basis. Referrals can be for a variety of reasons, including truancy.
	The following table shows the number of pupils in secondary level schools referred to the Education Welfare Service (EWS) in Northern Ireland for school years 2000-01 to 2004-05:
	
		
			  Number of pupils in secondary level schools referred to EWS 
			   Pupils referred 
			  Board area  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Belfast 1,732 1,463 1,600 1,690 1,581 
			 Western 1,751 1,122 1,975 1,090 684 
			 North Eastern 1,094 2,078 2,116 1,296 538 
			 South Eastern 2,167 1,892 1,433 1,392 771 
			 Southern 1,273 1,908 1,608 644 640

Vandalism

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much vandalism has cost the Department of Regional Development over the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: The information is not held centrally.

Vehicle Registration

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer to question 73861, whether a valid vehicle inspector's certificate issued by the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency of Northern Ireland in respect of a car registered in the UK covers the use of that car on roads in  (a) Northern Ireland and  (b) England, Wales and Scotland.

David Cairns: A vehicle inspection certificate issued by the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency in Northern Ireland is valid for use anywhere in the United Kingdom.

Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the current average waiting time is for each category of vehicle test and driving test carried out for the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency; what the Agency's performance target is for each category of test; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: Waiting times are only measured against an overall target for vehicle tests and driving tests carried out by the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency. The current average waiting time for all categories of vehicle test is 37 days and for all categories of driving test, 38 days. The target average waiting times are 21 days and 23 days respectively.

Visually Impaired People

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assistance is offered to visually impaired people in Northern Ireland to ensure their access to services available to them.

Paul Goggins: Health and social services provide a wide range of services to visually impaired people including: full needs assessments; low vision clinics; rehabilitation workers; a range of equipment; community development workers and a number of services are provided through partnership with the voluntary sector.
	Accessibility to health and social care provision has been improved through disability awareness training and adaptations to premises.

Waiting Lists

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland are waiting for a heart bypass operation.

Paul Goggins: At 31 May 2006, there were 152 people waiting for a heart bypass operation in Northern Ireland.

Waste Management

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to use incineration in waste management policy in Northern Ireland.

David Cairns: There are no plans for an incineration policy in Northern Ireland. In June 2005 The Department of the Environment published guidelines on the 'Best Practicable Environmental Option' for the development of facilities to recover, treat and dispose of waste materials. 'Waste to Energy' options for up to 12 per cent. of municipal solid waste and 17 per cent. of commercial and industrial wastes by 2013 were included. However, the choice of facilities will be left to the discretion of the three district council waste management partnerships—arc21, the South West Management Partnership and the North West Region Waste Management Group.
	Their statutory plans are currently under review and will take account of the new Waste Management Strategy, 'Towards Resource Management', which was published in March 2006. The Strategy states that Government continues in its firm belief that energy from waste will be a necessary component of the preferred infrastructure, both in terms of its policies on renewable energy and to ensure that Northern Ireland meets its landfill diversion targets.

Water Pollution

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been prosecuted for polluting Northern Ireland waterways in each of the last five years.

David Cairns: The number of prosecutions for water pollution offences which occurred during each of the years 2001-05 are as follows.
	Because it can take over a year for a case to come to court, a number of prosecution cases from 2005 and some from 2004 are still pending a verdict in court. These pending prosecutions are included in the figures provided.
	
		
			  Year in which pollution offence occurred  Number of prosecutions 
			 2001 109 
			 2002 101 
			 2003 123 
			 2004 (1)65 
			 2005 (2)42 
			 (1) Plus 15 cases pending (2) Plus 28 cases pending 
		
	
	It should be noted that, between 1996 and 2005, there was a reduction in the number of water pollution incidents from 2,055 to 1,175, a reduction of some 43 per cent.

Water Poverty

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the impact on those defined in Northern Ireland as water poor as measured by the percentage of income spent on water of changes in charges for water over the period 2009-10; and what his estimate is of the change in the percentage of the population paying more than 3 per cent. of their income on water charges in each year of that period.

David Cairns: Government have recognised that the introduction of water and sewerage charges in Northern Ireland will have an impact on low-income households. To ease the transition, and in recognition of the relatively high levels of poverty and disadvantage in Northern Ireland, the Government's broad objective is to ensure that low-income households, particularly pensioner households, should not need to spend more than 3 per cent. of their income on water and sewerage services.
	To achieve this objective, a special affordability tariff has been developed for those households who are entitled to certain social security benefits (housing benefit or rate rebate) or equivalent provision for "relevant children" as defined in the Children (Leaving Care) Act NI 2002, or the new Special Rate Relief Scheme being developed within the context of the reform of rates policy in Northern Ireland. The affordability tariff is a capped tariff which has been calculated by reference to the single person's pension credit guarantee, which is updated by Parliament each year. In 2007-08 this means there will be a maximum water and sewerage bill, for properties valued at £100,000 of approx £180 (which is 3 per cent. of the estimated pension credit guarantee in that year—around £6,000) with additional protection in the form of lower levels of capped charges set for those with properties valued at less than £100,000.
	Those occupying property valued at less than £70,000 will pay 50 per cent. of the full affordability tariff, while those in property valued between £70,000 and £100,000 will pay 75 per cent. of the tariff. As the charges will be phased in over three years this will mean that the maximum bill for eligible low-income customers in 2007-08 will be £30, £45 or £60, linked to the value of the property, rising to around £95, £145 and £190 in 2009-10, depending on the pension credit guarantee income level at that time.
	The affordability tariff for 2009-10 will be calculated on the basis of the uprated level of the single person pension credit guarantee income level thus continuing to ensure that eligible households will pay no more than 3 per cent. of their income on water and sewerage charges. Many households will pay significantly less.
	Data linking individual properties to household income are not available. It is therefore not possible to determine precisely the proportion of the population whose water bill will represent any given percentage of their household income. However it is estimated that around 200,000, close to 30 per cent. of all households will benefit from the affordability tariff and that this number will not change significantly each year. The implementation of the affordability tariff will be closely monitored and reviewed when charges are fully phased in by 2009-10 and the Department will collate all relevant data to assess the scheme against income levels at that time.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Autism

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will consider introducing compulsory training for teachers in autism.

Jim Knight: In order to be awarded Qualified Teacher Status, all trainee teachers must demonstrate that they understand their responsibilities under the statutory Special Educational Needs Code of Practice, know how to seek advice from specialists on less common types of SEN, can differentiate their teaching to meet the needs of pupils, including those with SEN, and can identify and support pupils who experience behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.
	The current standards for teachers are under review. Once revised, it is proposed that they will be strengthened to include a standard which requires teachers to know and comply with current legislation on well being of children and young people, one which requires teachers to know and understand the role of others when dealing with children who have special needs and/or disabilities, and one which requires teachers to communicate effectively with parents and carers.
	Induction standards require newly qualified teachers to demonstrate that they can plan effectively to meet the needs of pupils in their classes with SEN, with or without a statement, and in consultation with the SEN co-ordinator (SENCO), can contribute to the planning for individual needs.
	Once qualified, all teachers are expected to identify their development needs through performance management arrangements, and to address identified needs by undertaking appropriate professional development. This could include strengthening knowledge of autism.
	All schools receive a school development grant which they are able to use to support improvements in any aspect of teaching and learning. Local authorities may retain a proportion of this grant, under certain conditions, to provide specific training and development of SEN.
	In 2002 we published jointly with the Department of Health, Autistic Spectrum Disorders Good Practice guidance which offered a series of pointers to good practice aimed at schools and SENCOs.
	The Department's published SEN Strategy, 'Removing Barriers to Achievement' recognised the importance of training and committed us to work closely with the Training and Development Agency for Schools to ensure that initial teacher training and programmes of continuing professional development provide a good grounding in core skills and knowledge of SEN. We have commissioned the TDA to carry forward a range of initiatives designed to improve and strengthen the SEN skills and confidence of trainees, newly qualified and established teachers. These initiatives will be implemented over the period 2005-08 at a cost of approximately £1.1 million.

Children's Centres

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the guidance on the governance of children's centres will be published.

Beverley Hughes: We aim to issue a consultative paper on governance, management and leadership of children's centres and extended schools this summer. We will be seeking views from key stakeholders and interests in order to inform the final guidance which will be published later in the year.

Children's Services

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which off-school site centres deal with children with  (a) emotional, behavioural and other difficulties and  (b) excluded children; and which schools and areas each serves.

Jim Knight: There are 290 maintained special schools recorded on the Department's database of educational institutions which cater specifically or primarily for children with behavioural, emotional, and social difficulties (BESD). Also, although we do not have suitable data on any specific needs addressed by each pupil referral unit (PRU), many cater for pupils with a mixture of needs, including those with BESD and those who have been excluded from mainstream schools.
	A list of BESD maintained special schools and a list of PRUs have been placed in the House Libraries.

Connexions

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many young people have signed up to the Connexions card scheme in  (a) Lewisham, Deptford constituency and  (b) Lewisham borough.

Beverley Hughes: There are 71 young people who hold Connexions cards in Lewisham, Deptford constituency and 4,086 in Lewisham borough.

Education Act 1996 (Prosecutions)

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many prosecutions were brought under section 7 of the Education Act 1996 in each year between 2001 and 2003.

Jim Knight: Home Office data for the period 2001-03 show:
	In 2001, there were 6,622 prosecutions in England and Wales under the Education Act 1996. These include:
	2,243 prosecutions for truancy under section 444(1);
	4,379 prosecutions for various offences under the Education Act. These are likely to include some prosecutions under sections 444(1) and (1A).
	In 2002, there were 7,075 prosecutions in England and Wales under the Education Act 1996. These include:
	3,445 prosecutions for truancy under section 444(1);
	3,625 prosecutions for various offences under the Education Act. These are likely to include some prosecutions under sections 444(1) and (1A);
	four prosecutions for child employment offences;
	one prosecution for neglecting the cleanliness of a pupil.
	In 2003, there were 7,264 prosecutions in England and Wales under the Education Act 1996. These include:
	3,732 prosecutions for truancy under section 444(1);
	387 prosecutions for truancy under section 444 (1A) (the aggravated offence);
	3,142 prosecutions for various offences under the Education Act. These are likely to include some prosecutions under sections 444(1) and (1A);
	three prosecutions for child employment offences.
	Prosecutions for truancy related to section 7 are brought under section 444 of the Education Act 1996.

Financial Education

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what aspects of personal financial education are included in the compulsory elements of the national curriculum for 11 to 16 year olds.

Jim Knight: holding answer 19 June 2006
	The Government recognises the importance of personal finance education for all young people. The National Curriculum for Citizenship, which is compulsory at key stages 3 and 4 (11 to 16 year olds), includes teaching pupils about how the economy functions, including the role of business and financial services. Pupils are also taught about how public services are financed. In addition, the DfES has asked the QCA, as part of the wider review of GCSE maths and the emphasis on improving functional skills, to consider including financial capability more explicitly in the maths curriculum. In September 2004 we made work-related learning a statutory element of the curriculum, and from September 2005 are funding schools to develop a new focus on enterprise education, defined as enterprise capability supported by better financial capability and economic and business understanding.

Horticultural Courses

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what Government  (a) funding has been made available and  (b) initiatives have been undertaken for (i) in-service and (ii) full-time funding for horticultural courses for 16 to 18-year-olds since 1997.

Jim Knight: Full data for the funding made available for horticulture for 16 to 18-year-olds are available for 2004/05 only. In that year the Learning and Skills Council, which provides Government funding for 16-18 education spent £225,000 on horticulture courses through further education provision and £2,425,000 through work-based learning provision, including apprenticeships—a total of £2,650,000. This figure cannot be broken down into full-time and in-service figures. Other land-based and environmental provision, which may include aspects of horticulture has also been funded by the LSC.
	The Government have also invested £1.4 million since 2001 in the Growing Schools initiative, which encourages all schools to provide learning activities which enable pupils to gain knowledge and understanding about the outdoor environment through first-hand experience of growing, farming and the countryside—within and beyond the school. The expenditure on this cannot be broken down to show 16 to 18-year-olds separately.

Learning and Skills Council

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much the Learning and Skills Council spent on consultants in each year since 2003; and how many were hired in each year.

Bill Rammell: I have overall responsibility for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). However the operations of the LSC are managed and overseen by Mark Haysom, the LSC's Chief Executive. Details of the number of consultants and the amount spent on them are a matter for the LSC and Mark Haysom has written to the hon. Member with further information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 20 June 2006:
	Further to your question to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on the above subject and my subsequent response, I am pleased to be able to write to you with further details.
	The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has not previously distinguished, in its accounts, between expenditure with bodies providing consultancy services to the LSC and expenditure with bodies providing professional services as part of the planning and delivery of post 16 learning funded by the LSC. I have set in place measures to maintain this analysis.
	The short delay in responding to your query was caused by the need to analyse expenditure between consultants and services.
	The LSC's expenditure on management consultancy was £9.4 million, £6.7 million and £3.8 million in the financial years(1) 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 respectively.
	The LSC does not maintain records of the number of consultants employed to provide the associated activities. The internal management of bodies providing consultancy services to the LSC, or funded by the LSC for the benefit of stakeholders/learners, is a matter for the consultancy provider. The LSC does not, in normal circumstances, review the allocation of external organisations' resources, unless there is a demonstrable risk to the quality of service being delivered.
	I trust you will find this information useful.
	(1) The Learning and Skills Council's (LSC) financial year covers the period 1 April to 31 March.

Pupil-Teacher Ratios

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the secondary school pupil to teacher ratio was in  (a) England and  (b) the East Riding of Yorkshire in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The available information is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Pupil teacher ratios in maintained secondary schools in England and East Riding of Yorkshire local authority, January of each year 
			   England  East Riding of Yorkshire 
			 2002 16.9 17.7 
			 2003 17.0 17.7 
			 2004 17.0 17.7 
			 2005 16.7 17.3 
			 2006(1) 16.6 n/a 
			 n/a = not available  (1) Provisional   Source:  Annual school census

Pupil-Teacher Ratios

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the secondary school pupil to teacher ratio was in  (a) Torbay,  (b) Plymouth and  (c) England in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The available information is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Pupil:teacher ratios in maintained secondary schools in Torbay and Plymouth local authorities and England 
			  January of each year  Torbay  Plymouth  England 
			 1997 n/a n/a 16.7 
			 1998 n/a n/a 16.9 
			 1999 17.0 17.5 17.0 
			 2000 17.0 17.5 17.2 
			 2001 17.0 17.1 17.1 
			 2002 16.6 16.7 16.9 
			 2003 17.0 16.9 17.0 
			 2004 17.0 17.5 17.0 
			 2005 16.4 17.0 16.7 
			 2006(1) n/a n/a 16.6 
			 n/a = Not available.  (1) Provisional.   Source:  Annual school census.

RAISEonline

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what consultation his Department has conducted with school governors regarding the replacement of performance and assessment reports with RAISEonline; and what assessment he has made of the likely effect on governors of the change.

Jim Knight: The main purposes of the RAISEonline system being developed jointly by my Department and Ofsted are to assist in school self evaluation, to provide the data to underpin school improvement and to inform the school inspection process. Consultations so far, involving around 750 schools, have concentrated on the presentation, data management and training aspects of the system.
	RAISEonline will be available to all schools on a trial basis in July, but will not be used to inform inspections until the 2006 data are available in the autumn. During that period we will be consulting national governor organisations on the information which will be available in the system and the ways in which information can be shared with them by head teachers. Ofsted encourages heads to share their performance and assessment (PANDA) report with their governors. RAISEonline will include a full report similar to the PANDA which will be easy to print off and distribute to governors.

School Administration

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many tasks identified by the Making a Difference-Red Tape and Bureaucracy In Schools Second Report have been removed;
	(2)  whether he plans to publish a further report pursuant to Making a Difference-Red Tape and Bureaucracy in Schools 2003, which reviews the impact of initiatives introduced since this publication.

Jim Knight: holding answer 19 June 2006
	The DfES Simplification Plan that will be published later in the year will detail reductions in bureaucracy and administrative burdens that are referred to in this report, some of which have been superseded. The Simplification Plan will detail policies for reducing burdens on 'front line' staff working in the area of education and training across all sectors: public, voluntary, businesses and charities. In schools, our intention is that the Simplification Plan will cover reduced communications from the centre; the New Relationships with Schools programme; funding rationalisation; simplified inspection; less data requests and simplification arising from the Education Act.
	As a Department, we remain determined to make sure our policies have the maximum impact on standards with the minimum burden on schools. That is why we set up the Implementation Review Unit in April 2003 to review the implementation of existing and new policy initiatives, covering all organisations that impact on schools in England. The panel provides feedback on policy implementation, challenges existing systems, and is a sounding board on innovation.
	The Department is also developing the New Relationship with Schools. This has led to a new framework for school inspection and introduced School Improvement Partners to work with headteachers to raise standards and attainment. We have also developed a data protocol with many external partners, to ensure that only essential data is collected, that they are collected by sample wherever possible and that they are collected only once and then used many times.

School Budgets

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total schools budget is of each local authority for 2005-06; and what proportion is delegated to schools in each authority.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not yet available. The Department is due to collect the section 52 Outturn data relating to the 2005-06 financial year from August 2006.

Schoolchildren

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children there are in mainstream schools in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) the Tees Valley and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.

Jim Knight: The requested information is given in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained mainstream schools: Number (headcount) and percentage of pupils( 1 ) position in January each year—2005 and 2006 (Provisional) 
			   2005  2006 (Provisional) 
			   Number of pupils in mainstream schools( 2)  Percentage of pupils in mainstream schools( 3)  Number of pupils in mainstream schools( 2)  Percentage of pupils in mainstream schools( 3) 
			 Middlesbrough and South East Cleveland Constituency 12,640 91.1 12,470 90.6 
			 Tees Valley(4) 105,390 92.8 103,660 92.8 
			 North East 396,380 94.1 390,060 94.2 
			 England 7,557,960 91.3 7,493,930 91.4 
			 (1 )Excludes dually registered pupils.  (2) Includes pupils in maintained nursery schools, primary schools and secondary schools; excludes pupils in independent schools, city technology colleges, academies, special schools and pupil referral units.  (3) The number of pupils in maintained mainstream schools expressed as a percentage of pupils across ail schools.  (4 )Includes Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees and Darlington local authorities.   Note:  Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.   Source:  Schools' Census

Schooling (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of secondary school aged children who normally reside in  (a) Peterborough constituency and  (b) Peterborough city council area were educated outside the state sector in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: We are unable to provide residency based figures for children educated outside of the state sector as the Department does not collect this type of information for independent schools or home educated children.
	The numbers of secondary age(1) pupils attending independent schools(2) in Peterborough has been provided in the following table.
	
		
			   Peterborough parliamentary constituency  Peterborough local authority 
			 1997(1) 0 n/a 
			 1998(1) 124 n/a 
			 1999 127 127 
			 2000 124 124 
			 2001 114 114 
			 2002 133 133 
			 2003 143 143 
			 2004 167 167 
			 2005 176 176 
			 2006(2) 146 146 
			 n/a = not available.  (1) Figures for Peterborough local authority are available after local government re-organisation in April 1998.  (2) Provisional.   Source:  Schools; Census 
		
	
	(1) Pupils aged 11 to 15 at start of the academic year (as at 31 August in previous year).
	(2) Does not include independent special schools.

Schooling (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school class size was in (i) Peterborough constituency, (ii) Peterborough city council area and (iii) England in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1) : average class size( 2)  1997-2006( 3) 
			   Peterborough parliamentary constituency  Peterborough local authority area( 4)  England 
			  Position in January each year  Primary  Secondary  Primary  Secondary  Primary  Secondary 
			 1997 28.6 20.5 — — 27.5 21.7 
			 1998 28.9 20.3 — — 27.7 21.7 
			 1999 28.8 20.7 28.3 20.8 27.5 21.9 
			 2000 27.4 20.8 27.0 20.9 27.1 22.0 
			 2001 27.5 20.6 27.0 20.9 26.7 22.0 
			 2002 27.3 20.4 27.1 21.0 26.3 21.9 
			 2003 27.4 21.1 27.0 21.2 26.3 21.9 
			 2004 27.7 20.8 27.3 21.3 26.2 21.8 
			 2005 27.5 20.6 27.0 21.1 26.2 21.7 
			 2006(3) 27.6 20.1 27.2 20.7 26.3 21.5 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed.  (2) Classes taught by one teacher during a single selected period on the Census day in January.  (3) Provisional.  (4) Peterborough local authority was formed in April 1998 as part of local government reorganisation.

Schools

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many small schools in England were amalgamated in the last three years for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: We have been informed that 238 small primary schools, and 10 small secondary schools, have been amalgamated since January 2003. Amalgamation means either the closure of two or more schools and the establishment of one new school; or the closure of one school and the expansion of another to accommodate displaced pupils. The Department regards a small primary school as a school that has 200 pupils or less and a small secondary school as one that has 600 pupils or less.

Schools

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects head teachers to receive the direct payments to their schools announced in the 2006 Budget.

Jim Knight: Additional funding for schools of £220 million in 2006-07, rising to £365 million in 2007-08, was announced in the 2006 Budget, to support personalised learning at key stages 1-4. The funding will be paid to schools in September as an addition to their Schools Standards Grant. An interactive calculator is available on the Teachernet website to enable schools to calculate their share of this new grant.

Student Finance

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many individuals had been in arrears for  (a) less than one month,  (b) less than three months,  (c) less than six months and  (d) more than six months to the Student Loans Company at the end of each financial year from 1997-98 to 2005-06; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: There are two loan schemes for higher education Students. Income-contingent loans were introduced in 1998: prior to that support was delivered through the mortgage-style loan scheme.
	Most income-contingent loan repayments are collected by employers through the tax system and current policy ensures that deductions keep pace with earnings so borrowers do not become overdue on their accounts.
	There are currently 592,500 borrowers with publicly-owned mortgage style loans issued before 1998. The following table shows UK borrowers by length of arrears(1) at the end of financial years 2004-05 and 2005-06.
	
		
			   Financial year 
			   2004-05  2005-06 
			 In arrears, no repayment schedule(1) 52,900 59,900 
			 Less than one month in arrears 2,600 2,200 
			 From one month to less than three months in arrears 6,600 5,300 
			 From three months to less than six months in arrears 4,900 3,600 
			 Six months or more in arrears 53,600 43,600 
			 (1) Borrowers in arrears with no repayment schedule include those with a very small balance remaining, and those subject to litigation. In both cases the borrower is required to repay the whole amount outstanding.   Source:  Student Loans Company 
		
	
	(1) Borrowers with loans in more than one category are counted in each relevant category.
	This level of detail is not available for earlier years. Note that figures exclude borrowers who are deferring repayment because their income is currently below the repayment threshold, but who have arrears outstanding from the past.

Supply Teachers

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent on supply teaching staff in schools in each of the past three years, broken down by  (a) region and  (b) local education authority.

Jim Knight: The information requested is given in the following tables:
	
		
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05( 1) 
			  England 872,199,207 857,659,959 841,153,918 
			 
			  London 192,504,775 174,210,241 165,741,453 
			 Barking and Dagenham 6,342,071 6,480,794 5,021,157 
			 Barnet 5,822,726 5,932,850 6,732,767 
			 Bexley 6,902,854 6,003,924 5,717,575 
			 Brent 5,904,467 6,308,898 6,466,188 
			 Bromley 4,168,166 3,725,692 3,615,931 
			 Camden 3,692,664 2,959,824 3,073,579 
			 City of London 196,180 159,346 60,808 
			 Croydon 6.483,707 5,792,979 5,242,878 
			 Ealing 6,087,907 6,304,299 5,265,439 
			 Enfield 7,455,614 6,688,768 6,272,253 
			 Greenwich 7,730,532 6,926,381 6,301,807 
			 Hackney 11,163,874 6,732,779 5,796,796 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3,040,697 2,775,313 2,729,385 
			 Haringey 5,850,256 6,089,639 6,406,035 
			 Harrow 4,815,210 4,572,858 4,657,817 
			 Havering 5,163,048 4,291,674 3,884,137 
			 Hillingdon 6,213,610 6,622,047 5,745,498 
			 Hounslow 6,669,159 5,575,702 5,062,690 
			 Islington 6,157,939 5,079,742 5,247,734 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 2,205,818 1,935,375 1,854,282 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 2,047,981 1,708,962 1,772,918 
			 Lambeth 6,058,555 5,798,520 5,605,090 
			 Lewisham 6,483,772 5,470,784 6,182,798 
			 Merton 4,793.535 4,016,431 3,742,865 
			 Newham 14,831,074 12,148,516 9,934,621 
			 Redbridge 4,633,562 5,595,180 4,884,340 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 2,732,449 2,678,863 2,888,739 
			 Southwark 7,940,104 6,961,532 7,257,142 
			 Sutton 3,440,677 3,294,255 3,484,733 
			 Tower Hamlets 10,829,854 9,711,020 8,792,489 
			 Waltham Forest 7,291,731 7,424,228 7,115,083 
			 Wandsworth 4,523,888 4,223,139 4,404,458 
			 Westminster 4,831,094 4,219,927 4,521,421 
			 
			  South East 105,864,154 106,688,199 106,942,938 
			 Bracknell Forest 1,401,952 1,323,772 1,334,443 
			 Brighton and Hove 3,342,287 3,387,953 3,264,822 
			 Buckinghamshire 6,796,477 6,997,431 6,682,161 
			 East Sussex 6,711,979 6,440,541 6,859,342 
			 Hampshire 16,801,192 17,987,049 17,986,262 
			 Isle of Wight 1,869,054 1,714,479 1,602,236 
			 Kent 20,349,846 19,716,876 19,009,416 
			 Medway 4,485,826 4,357,296 4,649,416 
			 Milton Keynes 2,532,398 2,616,343 2,949,245 
			 Oxfordshire 5,143,555 5,383,188 6,809,794 
			 Portsmouth 2,626,91 1 2,883,436 2,717,442 
			 Reading 1,802,193 1,599,611 1,606,863 
			 Slough 2,488,676 2,370,157 2,371,687 
			 Southampton 3,085,938 2,898,124 2,970,360 
			 Surrey 9,399,379 10,343,822 10,855,936 
			 West Berkshire 1,771,194 2,256,493 2,031,289 
			 West Sussex 11,208,980 10,755,034 9,534,002 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 1,829,103 1,774,269 1,834,608 
			 Wokingham 2,217,214 1,882,325 1,873,614 
			 
			  South West 67,647,040 68,368,861 72,714,824 
			 Bath and NE Somerset 3,061,260 2,833,222 2,931,259 
			 Bournemouth 2,171,960 1,790,616 1,613,186 
			 City of Bristol 7,102,974 6,921,092 7,343,507 
			 City of Plymouth 3,546,601 3,451,275 3,582,614 
			 Cornwall 6,649,523 6,859,549 7,582,987 
			 Devon 7,835,761 8,977,190 9,280,069 
			 Dorset 4,433,056 3,606,389 4,647,667 
			 Gloucestershire 6,536,756 7,738,693 7,853,824 
			 Isles of Scilly 32,497 61,078 40,421 
			 North Somerset 3,018,743 3,288,513 3,220,563 
			 Poole 1,735,653 1,542,539 1,760,102 
			 Somerset 7,100,814 6,528,222 7,262,664 
			 South Gloucestershire 4,734,913 4,543,255 5,074,801 
			 Swindon 2,305,219 2,673,858 2,909,325 
			 Torbay 1,773,257 1,894,133 1,915,623 
			 Wiltshire 5,608,053 5,659,237 5,696,212 
			 
			  Eastern 82,180,217 77,541,424 77,106,055 
			 Bedfordshire 5,607,774 5,184,011 4,959,144 
			 Cambridgeshire 6,905,401 6,454,550 6,868,461 
			 City of Peterborough 2,582,505 2,428,294 2,517,556 
			 Essex 19,589,160 18,419,234 17,708,263 
			 Hertfordshire 18,166,803 16,497,068 16,481,292 
			 Luton 4,294,695 4,251,126 3,878,987 
			 Norfolk 10,163,524 10,286,700 10,213,619 
			 Southend 2,103,972 2,079,350 2,125,689 
			 Suffolk 9,898,766 9,475,736 9,802,709 
			 Thurrock 2,867,617 2,465,355 2,550,335 
			 
			  East Midlands 73,453,669 73,741,762 73,261,151 
			 City of Nottingham 5,797,100 6,166,563 4,735,269 
			 Derby 3,952,051 4,808,404 4,491,402 
			 Derbyshire 11,828,650 11,616,492 11,399,443 
			 Leicester City 7,018,378 6,248,946 6,507,097 
			 Leicestershire 11,298,811 10,263,408 9,975,798 
			 Lincolnshire 10,420,464 10,924,325 11,347,712 
			 Northamptonshire 8,876,182 8,774,484 9,503,745 
			 Nottinghamshire 13,848,266 14,502,534 14,935,496 
			 Rutland 413,767 436,606 365,189 
			 
			  West Midlands 95,426,992 97,680,708 96,328,244 
			 Birmingham 24,553,860 24,261,256 23,591,556 
			 Coventry 5,534,249 5,371,232 5,420,226 
			 Dudley 4,526,555 4,429,604 4,801,524 
			 Herefordshire 1,986,692 2,049,539 2,301,238 
			 Sandwell 6,745,291 6,963,451 7,244,263 
			 Shropshire 3,979,666 4,836,590 4,445,178 
			 Solihull 3,212,881 3,624,289 3,925,505 
			 Staffordshire 11,810,709 11,499,359 11,241,740 
			 Stoke 3,659,563 4,956,489 4,482,632 
			 Telford and Wrekin 3,130,647 3,010,022 2,795,281 
			 Walsall 6,792,923 5,916,253 6,042,019 
			 Warwickshire 9,047,430 9,307,806 8,239,812 
			 Wolverhampton 3,148,503 3,612,131 3,921,609 
			 Worcestershire 7,298,023 7,842,687 7,875,661 
			 
			  North East 40,976,320 45,062,152 44,643,332 
			 Darlington 1,649,698 1,820,237 1,752,690 
			 Durham 7,685,966 8,030,415 7,439,158 
			 Gateshead 3,360,930 2,807,159 3,087,005 
			 Hartlepool 1,635,187 2,033,102 1,497,256 
			 Middlesbrough 1,847,403 2,026,766 1,667,624 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 2,143,697 4,697,454 4,772,143 
			 North Tyneside 3,627,185 3,348,164 3,237,132 
			 Northumberland 6,070,706 5,778,782 6,589,125 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 2,417,405 2,565,833 2,361,027 
			 South Tyneside 2,773,456 3,447,248 3,005,467 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 3,294,656 3,335,945 3,300,609 
			 Sunderland 4,470,031 5,171,047 5,934,096 
			 
			  North West and Merseyside 121,556,703 120,771,433 112,718,773 
			 Blackburn and Darwen 2,587,758 2,392,816 2,592,427 
			 Blackpool 1,750,793 2,002,330 1,937,385 
			 Bolton 4,907,139 4,600,682 4,367,810 
			 Bury 343,228 3,666,116 3,431,305 
			 Cheshire 8,357,141 9,488,781 8,836,571 
			 Cumbria 4,864,140 9,276,272 6,439,682 
			 Halton 1,796,927 1,837,141 596,473 
			 Knowsley 3,313,105 3,583,136 2,772,226 
			 Lancashire 17,483,688 18,584,742 17,751,458 
			 Liverpool 19,111,246 9,263,148 7,899,266 
			 Manchester 7,179,109 7,186,609 6,843,899 
			 Oldham 4,695,222 4,781,450 4,672,029 
			 Rochdale 3,937,158 4,108,215 4,198,012 
			 Salford 3,607,949 4,121,234 4,206,410 
			 Sefton 6,766,986 5,633,750 5,576,310 
			 St Helens 3,108,740 3,186,598 3,533,601 
			 Stockport 3,332,827 3,394,973 3,938,980 
			 Tameside 3,446,930 3,342,267 3,173,763 
			 Trafford 2,905,049 2,754,734 2,571,819 
			 Warrington 4,462,554 3,295,558 2,723,370 
			 Wigan 5,820,517 6,707,078 7,327,009 
			 Wirral 7,778,497 7,563,803 7,328,968 
			 
			  Yorkshire and Humberside 92,589,337 93,595,179 91,697,148 
			 Barnsley 2,998,751 4,076,932 4,519,890 
			 Bradford 10,942,510 11,668,785 11,727,653 
			 Calderdale 4,066,230 4,080,759 4,020,693 
			 City of Kingston-upon-Hull 5,264,822 4,872,398 4,244,467 
			 Doncaster 5,048,004 4,794,200 5,169,487 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 5,524,437 4,750,238 4,715,274 
			 Kirklees 7,451,331 7,518,373 8,075,906 
			 Leeds 12,538,977 12,689,947 9,914,878 
			 North East Lincolnshire 3,042,650 2,903,235 2,763,872 
			 North Lincolnshire 2,577,469 2,773,134 2,781,530 
			 North Yorkshire 10,383,371 10,098,780 9,858,887 
			 Rotherham 5,608,483 5,908,972 5,773,272 
			 Sheffield 9,909,905 10,129,855 10,064,397 
			 Wakefield 4,600,695 4,865,454 5,470,721 
			 York 2,631,702 2,464,117 2,596,221 
			 (1) The figures are taken from the section 52 outturn data set for 2004-05. Cash term figures are as reported at 15 June and are subject to change by the local authority.   Notes:  1. Includes: (a) salaries and wages for supply teaching staff employed directly by the school who are covering curriculum release, long term absence, sickness absence and training absence; (b) the cost paid to an agency for teaching staff that have been brought in to cover teacher absence; (c) and the cost of insurance premiums for supply staff less any receipts from supply teacher insurance.  2. Includes only expenditure by LA maintained primary, secondary and special schools. Nursery school expenditure was not collected in full until 2004-05. The comparable nursery school figure for England for 2004-05 was £4.3 million. Central local authority expenditure on supply teachers is not recorded separately and is therefore excluded from this table.

Sure Start

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many under-fives entitled to free nursery places on the Sure Start scheme are on waiting lists in  (a) Lewisham, Deptford constituency and  (b) Lewisham borough.

Beverley Hughes: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	Since April 2004, local authorities have had a statutory duty to secure sufficient nursery education places for all three and four-year-olds whose parents want one. The free nursery education entitlement consists of a minimum of 12. 5 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year and will be extended to 15 hours a week by 2010. By that time, parents who wish to do so will also be able to access the free entitlement flexibly across a minimum of three days.
	Provisional national figures show that, in January 2006, almost all four-year-old children benefit from some free provision. The figure for three-year-olds is 96 per cent. The provisional figures for January 2006 were published in Statistical First Release 17/2006 "Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2006 (provisional)" on 27 April 2006 and are available on my Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/
	The available information on the number of free places taken up by three and four-year-olds in Lewisham local authority area is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of free nursery education places( 1)  taken up by three and four-year-olds, Lewisham local authority 
			   3-year-olds  4-year-olds 
			  Position in January  Maintained nursery and primary schools( 2)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers  Total 3-year-olds  Maintained nursery and primary schools( 3)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers  Total 4-year-olds 
			 2005 1,700 810 2,510 2,600 300 2,900 
			 (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.  (2) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.  (3) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.   Notes:  1. Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools Census.  2. Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census. 
		
	
	Related information on the number of free places taken up by three and four-year-olds in Lewisham, Deptford parliamentary constituency area is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of free nursery education places( 1)  taken up by three and four-year-olds, Lewisham, Deptford parliamentary constituency 
			   3-year-olds  4-year-olds 
			  Position in January each year  Maintained nursery and primary schools( 2)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers( 3)  Total 3-year-olds  Maintained nursery and primary schools( 4)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers( 5)  Total 4-year-olds 
			 2005 640 300 940 890 120 1,000 
			 (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.  (2) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.  (3) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.  (4) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.  (5) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Crime Figures

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed in the five  (a) most and  (b) least deprived wards in England in each of the last 10 years.

John Reid: Information at ward level is not collected centrally. The lowest level for which the Home Office collects data is for Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership areas.

Drug Offences

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there have been for drug offences in Peterborough city council area in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: Drug offenders data cannot be broken down to local authority level. Available information relates to persons found guilty of drug offences at Peterborough's crown and magistrates courts. There were 137 in 2000,156 in 2001,160 in 2002, 220 in 2003 and 147 in 2004. Many offenders convicted in Peterborough courts will not be resident in the area covered by Peterborough city council.

Drug Trafficking

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the amount of heroin trafficked into the United Kingdom in 2005 which came through Scotland.

Vernon Coaker: We estimate that about 25 to 35 tonnes of heroin enters the UK each year. The bulk is believed to enter through the English Channel ports and is subsequently distributed to all parts of the UK, including Scotland. Small amounts of cocaine are believed to be imported directly into Scotland, but there are no reliable estimates of the amounts.

Early Retirement

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of his Department's employees have taken early retirement due to ill-health in each of the past five years for which figures are available.

Joan Ryan: The figures from the centrally managed Home Office and the Agencies, Identity and Passport Service, Public Sector Prison Service Agency, and Criminal Records Bureau are in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of staff taken early retirement due to ill-health 
			  Year (fiscal)  Number 
			  Home Office (including Immigration and Nationality Directorate)  
			 2005-06 15 
			 2004-05 29 
			 2003-04 32 
			 2002-03 16 
			 2001-02 23 
			   
			  Identity and Passport Service (formerly UKPS)  
			 2005-06 (1)— 
			 2004-05 (1)— 
			 2003-04 5 
			 2002-03 (1)— 
			 2001-02 (1)— 
			   
			  Public Sector Prison Service Agency  
			 2005-06 147 
			 2004-05 185 
			 2003-04 246 
			 2002-03 219 
			 2001-02 233 
			   
			  Criminal Records Bureau (formerly part of UKPS)  
			 2005-06 0 
			 2004-05 0 
			 2003-04 0 
			 (1) Less than 5.

Identity Cards

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that the biometric technology to be used in the proposed identity cards will prevent fraudulent copies being made.

Joan Ryan: One of the main uses of biometric technology in the National Identity scheme is to make it much easier to detect unauthorised attempts by an individual to register more than one identity with the scheme.
	The Government are taking specialist advice with regard to the specification for and implementation of biometric technologies. We are working with leading biometric experts from a number of world-leading institutions in the field, including the US National Institute for Standards and Technology, Cambridge University, San Jose University, the UK National Physical Laboratory and staff from the Communications-Electronic Security Group (CESG, part of GCHQ). This work is further supported by experience gained from colleagues in other schemes internationally, such as those in Hong Kong and the Philippines, as well as those parts of UK Government already using biometric technology, such as the Police Information Technology Organisation and the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.
	In addition, there is an assurance process to ensure that advice taken on biometrics is robust and appropriate. Sir David King, the Government Chief Scientist, chairs a Biometric Assurance Group which includes other specialists in the biometric field that reviews such matters in relation to the National Identity scheme. Biometric processes will be supervised as well as supported by other more traditional security procedures. For example, during the enrolment process, biometric checks are supported by checks on public and private databases to verify the information provided by applicants. A number of pieces of key supporting documentation may also be examined for consistency by trained examiners equipped to identify forgery. A fraud investigation unit will exist that will supervise enrolment and work with law enforcement agencies to investigate suspicious activities. It is the combination of both biometric technologies and such more traditional checks that will provide greater assurance of identity than exists today.
	A specialist team has been employed to prepare both the security principles and requirements across the National Identity scheme, including biometrics. Their work is being supported by internationally recognised bodies from the fields of national security and law enforcement to technical experts in cryptography and electronic security. In particular, we are working closely with experts from CESG on such issues. This group of experts is highly experienced in dealing with processes and systems that require a high level of security. Security risk assessments have been undertaken on issues such as the physical, logical, procedural, personnel and systems aspects of the National Identity scheme as part of this work and such assessments are updated as the National Identity scheme develops.
	Finally, the National Identity Register will need to pass an independent security accreditation process under Cabinet Office guidelines before the National Identity scheme can be launched, thus providing a further layer of independent scrutiny .

Identity Fraud

Bill Olner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many cases of identity fraud using the details of a deceased person were recorded in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what percentage of impersonation cases involved the use of identities belonging to deceased people in the last year that figures are available.

Joan Ryan: The Government takes the problem of identity fraud very seriously and there is a range of criminal offences in place to combat this problem, such as the deception offences in the Theft Act 1968 and 1978. On 7 June 2006 we also brought into force sections 25 and 26 of the Identity Cards Act 2006 which creates new criminal offences of being in possession or control of false identity documents. These offences relate to a wide range of identity documents, including passports, driving licences, ID cards and immigration documents. The maximum penalty is 10 years imprisonment for an offence of possession with intent to use the document for establishing registrable facts (about the individual), and two years imprisonment for possession without reasonable excuse.
	The number of criminal offences committed each year using the identity of a deceased person is not recorded centrally. But identity fraud questions have been incorporated into the British Crime Survey and the results should give us more information on the number of victims and the types of fraud that are being committed. In addition, CIFAS, the UK's Fraud Prevention Service for the private sector (mainly financial services companies), has conducted research into the extent of impersonation of deceased person fraud and has estimated that there were approximately 17,500 cases in 2001, 35,000 in 2002, 56,000 in 2003 and 70,000 in 2004. The 2004 figure represents 58 per cent. of the estimated 120,000 incidents of identity and impersonation fraud identified by CIFAS members in 2004.
	The Government have been working with the public and private sector to look at ways to reduce impersonation of deceased person fraud. An amendment to the Police and Justice Bill was introduced at Report stage in the House of Commons on 10 May 2006, which will allow Registrars General in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to supply timely death registration information in bulk to the police and other organisations for use in the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of offences.

Khalid Rashid

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department further to the answer of 28 March 2006,  Official Report, column 908W, on Khalid Rashid, whether an employee of the Government was  (a) involved in or  (b) present at the removal of Khalid Rashid from South Africa following his arrest on 31 October 2005 in Estcourt, Kwazulu Natal, on immigration grounds; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 18 April 2006
	It is a matter for the South African authorities.

Knives

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the reasons for the trend in the rate of knife crime among young adults; and what steps are being taken to reduce the incidence of such crime.

Tony McNulty: Lemos and Crane's study: "Fear and Fashion: The use of knives and other weapons by young people" which was published in 2004, provided an insight into these issues. The Communities that Care Safer London Youth Survey, published in 2005, includes data on the use of weapons by young people. The Youth Justice Board also commissioned a MORI Youth Survey in July 2004, containing information about young people and the carrying of knives.
	On 24 May, we launched a nationwide knife amnesty, the first for 10 years. We are also taking steps to tighten legislation through measures in the Violent Crime Reduction Bill, which will raise the age at which someone can be sold a knife from 16 to 18, introduce a new offence of using someone to mind a weapon, and give head teachers power to search pupils for knives. We are also supporting community work and education programmes which teach young people about the risks and consequences of knife carrying.

Knives

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many incidents of knife crime were reported in 2005; and how many resulted in conviction;
	(2)  what percentage of knife crime in Wales resulted in a conviction in each year since 1996.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not collected centrally. Crimes specifically involving the use of a knife cannot be separately identified in the recorded crime statistics or the court proceedings data.

People Trafficking

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many safe-houses there are in the UK for trafficked children who have escaped or are found; and in which cities they are located.

Vernon Coaker: We are not aware of there being any safe houses specifically for accommodating victims of child trafficking. However, there are accommodation facilities in many locations that will cater for children in need who it is believed may have been trafficked.
	Planning for children's services is carried out on a locality basis throughout the UK. It is the statutory duty of local authorities under the 1989 Children Act to ensure that safe arrangements are in place to look after individual children at risk, including children from abroad. It is also the responsibility of the local authority to assess any risk of harm and to arrange for the provision of a suitable range of accommodation for all the children in their area. Any lone child in the UK in contact with any statutory or child welfare agency will be urgently referred to the appropriate local authority.
	The Home Office National Asylum Support Service (NASS) reimburses local authorities who receive unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) into their care with a total of £140 million p.a. Partnership plans to provide safer arrangements for children who have been trafficked are being incorporated in a Home Office/DfES joint review of how local authorities accommodate children from abroad. The review will aim to deliver improvements by ensuring UASC are placed in local authority areas where specialist services are in place—including local authority social workers who can recognise and deal appropriately with UASC who may have been trafficked to the UK. The review is also designed to increase specialisation, end inconsistencies in treatment and enable the retention and development of expertise.

People Trafficking

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many traffickers of children have been  (a) charged,  (b) convicted and  (c) deported in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: While there is no specific offence of child trafficking, prosecutions involving child victims of human trafficking have been pursued under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
	The most up-to-date information provided to the Home Office by the Crown Prosecution Service, indicates that at least 12 defendants were charged in three separate cases that involved female victims between the ages of 15 and 18. Of these 10 were convicted and received lengthy sentences. All were recommended by the trial judge for deportation on release.

People Trafficking

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money was seized by the Assets Recovery Agency from those offenders charged with crimes relating to human trafficking in each year since its inception.

Vernon Coaker: The Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) is currently investigating two cases where the alleged criminality relates to human trafficking. In the first investigation ARA have frozen assets to the value of £1.4 million. In the second case the subject is currently serving a prison sentence and the value of any potential assets has yet to be determined. ARA have not recovered money from civil or taxation cases relating to human trafficking to date.
	Separately, a multi-agency task force set up to combat organised immigration crime, known as Reflex, seized criminal assets totalling £5.57 million in 2004-05. Figures for 2005-06 are not yet available.

People Trafficking

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the UN report Trafficking in Persons: Global Patterns; and what steps are being taken by his Department to tackle people trafficking.

Vernon Coaker: The UN report Trafficking in Persons: Global Patterns, is an informative fact based report on the process of human trafficking from source and transit countries with the aim of providing an unbiased picture of the global extent of trafficking in human beings.
	The Home Office has recently conducted a public consultation on tackling human trafficking which ended on 5 April. A summary of responses report was published on 21 June and the responses obtained used to develop a National Action Plan on Trafficking which will be published later in the year. The action plan will take a comprehensive end-to-end approach covering the different elements of our anti-trafficking strategy: from prevention (including demand reduction); investigating and prosecuting the traffickers; through to protecting and supporting the victims. We will consider whether any of the information contained in the UN report can assist with the development of this action plan or with other strategies designed to combat human trafficking and the organised criminals who benefit from it.
	We continue to tackle trafficking through Reflex a multi-agency task force aimed at tackling organised immigration crime. Operation Pentameter a Reflex funded multi-agency initiative involving all UK police forces and immigration service aimed at tackling the Trafficking of Human Beings for Sexual Exploitation was launched in February and has already made a real impact rescuing 84 women from traffickers and made 232 arrests.
	The Home Office announced on 7 April 2006 additional funding of £2.4 million over two years to expand the provision of support services for victims of trafficking currently provided through the POPPY Scheme. Not only are we delivering on our commitment to continue funding for the core service (25 crisis spaces), we are also funding 10 additional step-down places

Police

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints were made to the Independent Police Complaints Commission in respect of each police force in each year since the Commission's inception; how many were  (a) upheld and  (b) rejected; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 14 June 2006
	The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is responsible for the management of the police complaints system. I will ensure that the Chairman receives a copy of the question and replies to the hon. Member directly. Copies of the letter containing the IPCC's response will be placed in the Library.

Police

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours of safety training was provided per police officer in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: Under the foundation training programme delivered by the Central Police Training and Development Authority (Centrex) all police recruits received 27 hours of personal safety training under the Centrex personal safety programme. This training has now been incorporated within the Initial Police Leaning and Development Programme (IPLDP), which moves probationer training away from regional centres and back into force so that officers are trained in the community that they serve.
	Under the new programme, refresher training is provided to each officer on an annual basis. Advanced personal safety training may be provided by individual forces. The nature of this training will largely be determined by the specific demands of the role being performed by the officer in question and it is not therefore possible to provide a per officer figure.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the availability of class A drugs in category D prison establishments; what action he is taking to reduce the availability of drugs in prisons; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The best measure of drug misuse in prisons is provided by the random mandatory drug testing programme. The percentage positive rate for Class A drugs in category D prisons' in 2005-06 was 4.4 per cent. A comprehensive series of measures is in place to reduce the availability of drugs, from which establishments draw, based on local need.

Prisons

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have  (a) committed suicide and  (b) been murdered while being in prison since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Between 1 January 1997 and 11 June 2006 there were 790 apparent self-inflicted deaths (all deaths where it appears the person may have acted specifically to take his/her own life and not only those that receive a 'suicide' or 'open' verdict at inquest) and 14 apparent homicides involving prisoners in England and Wales.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many managed moves at senior operational level in the Prison Service there were in each of the last three years; and for what reasons policy was changed in July 2005 to require all such moves to be approved by the Director of operations.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The number of managed moves at senior operational level over the period in question is contained in the following table. These figures relate to senior operational managers (senior governor grades in paybands A to D). There are no figures available before April 2004. The policy of all managed appointments at senior operational level being approved by the director of operations or the deputy director general was introduced in a Prison Service order on 5 July 2004. The order was published to advise staff of the appropriate levels of authority for the approval of managed appointments. Decisions about managed moves at this level are taken by operational directors acting as members of the Prison Service succession planning committee. There have been no changes to the managed appointment policy since this date.
	
		
			  Number of managed moves at senior operational level in the public sector Prison Service for England and Wales between April 2004 and May 2006 
			  Period  Number of managed moves 
			 April-December 2004 13 
			 January-December 2005 52 
			 January-May 2006 29

Respect Areas

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to designate 'Respect Areas' in  (a) England and  (b) Wales; how those areas will be defined; and which locations he plans to designate.

John Reid: Over the next 12 months, we will be inviting areas from across England and Wales (not designating them) to demonstrate their commitment to their communities to tackling antisocial behaviour by signing up to key components of the Respect Action Plan.

Security Industry

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether security guards who have applied for but not received their Security Industry Authority identity cards will be allowed to work.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 30 March 2006
	Under licensing arrangements which came into force across England and Wales on 20 March 2006, security guards working as contract staff are required to be licensed by the Security Industry Authority (SIA).
	Companies that have been awarded approved contractor status by the SIA are able to legally deploy a proportion of security staff while their licence applications are being processed.

Security Industry

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2006,  Official Report, column 359W, on the security industry, if he will provide the most recent figures for  (a) the number of applications received for licences in the security industry,  (b) the number issued and  (c) the average time taken to process applications.

Vernon Coaker: As of 7 June 2006:
	 (a) 162,706 complete applications had been received by the SIA;
	 (b) 109,021 licences had been issued;
	 (c) the SIA do not calculate average processing times. Some, such as those involving overseas criminal records checks, unavoidably take a considerable time. The SIA have a published target of processing 80 per cent. of all applications within six weeks, measured from the date that a properly completed application enters the processing system to the date that a licence is issued.
	From April 2004 until August 2005 the SIA processed 62 per cent. within six weeks and 88 per cent. within nine weeks.
	Since September 2005, there has been a backlog of applications that have been waiting to enter the system. These have added an additional time of between two and four weeks to the process, so it is now taking up to 10 weeks to process most applications.

Security Industry

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a small firms impact test was undertaken as part of the regulatory impact assessment for the Private Security Industry Act 2001; and what guidance officials used to determine whether to undertake such a test.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 16 May 2006
	A small firms impact test was carried out as part of the approved contractor scheme regulatory impact assessment (RIA) published in February 2006, in consultation with the Small Business Service. Officials followed standard guidance on preparing regulatory impact assessments provided to all Government Departments (available on the Cabinet Office website at http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/regulation/ria/) and liaised with the better regulation executive at the Cabinet Office and the Small Business Service in writing the RIA.

Security Industry

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued to other Government Departments on how to proceed in the event that their suppliers of security staff fail to meet the Security Industry Authority's licensing deadline of 20 March 2006.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 17 March 2006
	On 10 March, the Security Industry Authority (SIA) wrote to all purchasers and providers of security services in England and Wales, including Government Departments. The letter included the following advice for purchasers of security:
	"We again encourage buyers of security to assure themselves that their supplier deploys only licensed guards from 20 March and/or that the company has achieved ACS [Approved Contractor Scheme] approval."

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people over the age of 55 years have been recruited into his Department in each of the last three years.

Liam Byrne: The following table shows the number of people over age 55 years that have been recruited into the Home Office in each of the last three years.
	
		
			  Home Department: Recruitment of people over the age of 55 for three latest years 
			   Number over the age of 55 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Centrally managed Home Office 167 (1)102 308 
			 UK Passport Service 13 24 27 
			 CRB (2)1 1 1 
			 Public sector prisons 383 308 307 
			 Total 564 435 643 
			 (1) For year 2004-05 some data may be unrecorded centrally due to the changeover from the old Home Office personnel system (PIMMS) to the new Adelphi system  (2) Non-executive director (not Home Office staff).

Teenage Drug Use

Lynda Waltho: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure teenagers are made aware of the possible dangers associated with illegal drug use.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office is working in partnership with DfES and the Department of Health to ensure young people are made aware of the effects and risks associated with drug use. The FRANK campaign targets young people and their parents with information about drugs. Young people are encouraged to get further information and advice at the comprehensive drug information website which has received over six million visits, or via the helpline which receives around 1,200 calls a day. A range of FRANK literature has been produced for young people and distributed via the helpline and stakeholders and an understanding drugs schools pack will be available for teachers at the start of the next school year.